Paclitaxel Prodrug Enables Glutathione Depletion to Boost Cancer Treatment.

Herein, we constructed a paclitaxel (PTX) prodrug (PA) by conjugating PTX with acrylic acid as a cysteine-depleting agent. The as-synthesized PA can assemble with diacylphosphatidylethanolamine-PEG to form stable nanoparticles (PA NPs). After endocytosis into cells, PA NPs can specifically react with cysteine and trigger release of PTX for chemotherapy.

Effect of Graphitization Degree of Mesocarbon Microbeads (MCMBs) on the Microstructure and Properties of MCMB-SiC Composites.

Mesocarbon microbead-silicon carbide (MCMB-SiC) composites were prepared by hot-press sintering (2100 °C/40 MPa/1 h) with two different graphitized MCMBs as the second phase, which exhibited good self-lubricating properties. The effects of the graphitization degree of the MCMBs on the microstructure and properties of the composites were investigated contrastively. The results showed that the composites that added raw MCMBs with a low degree of graphitization had excellent self-sintering properties, higher densities, and better mechanical properties; by comparison, the composites that added mature MCMBs with a high degree of graphitization, which has regular and orderly lamellar structures, not only had good mechanical properties but also exhibited a lower and more stable dry friction coefficient (0.

Effect of Sintering Temperature on the Properties of Highly Electrical Resistive SiC Ceramics as a Function of YO-ErO Additions.

Silicon carbide (SiC) ceramics with YO-ErO as sintering additives were prepared by spark plasma sintering (SPS). The effects of sintering temperatures and YO-ErO contents on the microstructure, thermal conductivity, electrical, and mechanical properties were investigated. The increasing of sintering temperatures promoted the densification of SiC ceramics, thus increasing the thermal conductivity and electrical resistivity.

Phosphor-converted laser-diode-based white lighting module with high luminous flux and color rendering index.

A laser-diode-based white lighting module is fabricated via spectral component optimization, which can achieve both high luminous flux and high color rendering index (CRI). In this work, the laser module is constituted by blue laser diodes (LDs) which excite YAG:Ce-AlO and red LDs that can compensate for the lack of red spectrum to improve the CRI of the light source. To fulfill the requirements of flexibility and compactness of light source, the blue and red LDs beams are combined by optical fiber coupling.

Microstructure and Tribological Performance of Mesocarbon Microbead-Silicon Carbide Composites.

Mesocarbon microbead-silicon carbide (MCMB-SiC) composites with 0-30 wt % MCMBs were prepared by pressureless sintering (PLS) method at 2200 °C in Ar. The microstructure and tribological properties of the prepared composites were investigated. The results show that there was a finer grain size of SiC with the increase in MCMB content because MCMBs hinder the growth of SiC grains.

Fabrication of hydroxyapatite ceramics with controlled pore characteristics by slip casting.

Porous hydroxyapatite (HAp) ceramics with controlled pore characteristics were fabricated using slip casting method by mixing PMMA with HAp powder. The optimum conditions of HAp slip for slip casting was achieved by employing various experimental techniques, zeta potential and sedimentation, as a function of pH of the slips in the pH range of 4-12. HAp suspensions displayed an absolute maximum in zeta potential values and a minimum in sedimentation height at pH 11.