Publications by authors named "Xu-Min Cai"

A revolutionary transformation in biomedical imaging is unfolding with the advent of aggregation-induced emission luminogens (AIEgens). These cutting-edge molecules not only overcome the limitations of traditional fluorescent probes but also improve the boundaries of high-contrast imaging. Unlike conventional fluorophores suffering from aggregation-caused quenching, AIEgens exhibit enhanced luminescence when aggregated, enabling superior imaging performance.

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The dynamic modulation of the aggregation process of small molecules represents an important research objective for scientists. However, the complex and dynamic nature of internal environments in vivo impedes controllable aggregation processes of single molecules. In this study, we successfully achieve tumor-targeted aggregation of an aggregation-induced emission photosensitizer (AIE-PS), TBmA, with the catalysis of a tumor-overexpressed enzyme, γ-Glutamyl Transferase (GGT).

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Article Synopsis
  • Biophotonics has advanced with optical imaging techniques enabling noninvasive detection of important biological species.
  • Aggregation-induced emission (AIE) materials show improved luminescence in their aggregated state, making them useful for high-resolution bioimaging and disease therapy.
  • The review discusses methods to control AIEgen aggregation through molecular modifications and highlights their applications in enzyme monitoring, protein tracking, and cancer treatment, while also addressing challenges and future directions in AIE research.
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Article Synopsis
  • AIE materials are sensitive to external signals and can be used for anti-counterfeiting, but their response is limited by a lack of structural variation.
  • Researchers created several AIE-active regio-structural isomers by modifying a salicylaldehyde Schiff base with bromide and triphenylamine, enhancing their responsiveness.
  • The study demonstrates how these isomers can be used for multi-level decryption through mechanochromism and acidichromism, showcasing a method to control excited-state behavior for improved stimuli-responsive properties.
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Exploration of artificial aggregation-induced emission luminogens (AIEgens) has garnered extensive interest in the past two decades. In particular, AIEgens possessing natural characteristics (BioAIEgens) have received more attention recently due to the advantages of biocompatibility, sustainability and renewability. However, the extremely limited number of BioAIEgens extracted from natural sources have retarded their development.

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The intrinsic poor rheological properties of MXene inks result in the MXene nanosheets in dried MXene microfibers prone to self-stacking, which is not conducive to ion transport and diffusion, thus affecting the electrochemical performance of fiber-based supercapacitors. Herein, robust cellulose nanofibrils (CNF)/MXene hybrid fibers with high electrical conductivity (916.0 S cm) and narrowly distributed mesopores are developed by wet spinning.

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Artificial aggregation-induced emission luminogens (AIEgens) have flourished in bio-applications with the development of synthetic chemistry, which however are plagued by issues like singularity in structures and non-renewability. The unique structures and renewability of biomass moieties can compensate for these drawbacks, but their properties are hard to design and regulate due to their confined structures. Therefore, it appears to be a reasonable approach to derive AIEgens from abundant biomass (BioAIEgens), integrating the bilateral advantages of both synthetic and natural AIEgens.

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One-pot synthesis of heterocyclic aromatics with good optical properties from phenolic β-O-4 lignin segments is of high importance to meet high value added biorefinery demands. However, executing this process remains a huge challenge due to the incompatible reaction conditions of the depolymerization of lignin β-O-4 segments containing γ-OH functionalities and bioresource-based aggregation-induced emission luminogens (BioAIEgens) formation with the desired properties. In this work, benzannulation reactions starting from lignin β-O-4 moieties with 3-alkenylated indoles catalyzed by vanadium-based complexes have been successfully developed, affording a wide range of functionalized carbazoles with up to 92% yield.

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Microbial pathogens, including bacteria, fungi and viruses, greatly threaten the global public health. For pathogen infections, early diagnosis and precise treatment are essential to cut the mortality rate. The emergence of aggregation-induced emission (AIE) biomaterials provides an effective and promising tool for the theranostics of pathogen infections.

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The exploration of artificial luminogens with bright emission has been fully developed with the advancement of synthetic chemistry. However, many of them face problems like weakened emission in the aggregated state as well as poor renewability and sustainability. Therefore, the development of renewable and sustainable luminogens with anti-quenching function in the solid state, as well as to unveil the key factors that influence their luminescence behavior become highly significant.

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An electrochemical sulfonylation of alkynes with sodium sulfinates was achieved for the first time at room temperature. Employing this electrolysis strategy, the reaction occurs efficiently under transition-metal-free, external oxidant-free, and base-free conditions and furnishes diverse alkynyl sulfones in satisfactory yield with broad functional group tolerance.

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A catalytic, aerobic oxidative dearomatization protocol has been developed for the preparation of spiroisoxazline scaffolds from oximes using TEMPO and NaNO as the catalyst and O as the sole oxidant. This dearomatization methodology features its mild reaction conditions, good functional group tolerance, and an unprecedented broad substrate scope, encompassing phenols, aryl ethers, thiophenols, aryl sulfides, etc.

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Cellulose-based luminescent materials are usually formed via either covalent attachment or combination with luminogens. In this work, three luminescent cellulose ethers without conventional luminophores have been homogeneously synthesized in a mixed solvent of tetra(n-butyl)ammonium hydroxide (TBAH)/dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). The one obtained by etherifying microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) with 4-bromomethylbenzoic acid (BBA), i.

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Five bioactive dehydroabietylamine Schiff-base derivatives (L-L) had been synthesized from Dehydroabietylamine (L), and the complex Cu(L) had been obtained from the compound L and copper(II) acetate. Their activities against Hela (cervix), MCF-7 (breast), A549 (lung), HepG2 (liver) and HUVEC (umbilical vein, normal cell) in vitro were investigated. The toxicity of L-L and Cu(L) was all lower than L.

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An environmentally benign method for C-H/O-H difunctionalization of phenols with sulfoxides under mild conditions has been developed. The reaction process is mediated by an electrophilic aromatic substitution and subsequent selective aryl or alkyl migration, involving C-S and C-O bond formations with broad substrate scope.

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The reaction of cis-[Mo2(O2C-Fc)2(NCCH3)4][BF4]2 (cis-1) with two electronically different N,N'-diarylformamidinate (DArF) ligands (DArF = N,N'-bis(p-trifluoromethylphenyl)formamidinate (DTfmpF), N,N'-bis(p-anisyl)formamidinate (DAniF)) results in the isolation of the tris- and monosubstituted complexes [Mo2(DTfmpF)3(O2C-Fc)] (2a) and [Mo2(DAniF)(O2C-Fc)3] (2b). These complexes complete the series of [Mo2(DArF)n(O2C-Fc)4-n] (n = 4-0) type compounds, thus allowing for a comprehensive study. On the basis of the oxidation potential E1/2([Mo2](4+)/[Mo2](5+)) of all Mo2 complexes, ligand basicity is found to decrease in the order DAniF(-) > DTfmpF(-) > Fc-CO2(-) ≫ CH3CN.

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The reaction of cis-[Mo2(O2C-Fc)2(NCCH3)4][BF4]2 (cis-1) with three electronically different N,N'-diarylformamidinate (DArF) ligands [DArF = N,N'-diphenylformamidinate (DPhF), N,N'-di(p-trifluoromethylphenyl)formamidinate (DTfmpF), and N,N'-di(p-anisyl)formamidinate (DAniF)] results in products of the general composition [Mo2(O2C-Fc)2(DArF)2]. Even though the trans-[Mo2(O2C-Fc)2(DArF)2] isomers were originally expected to be the sole products, the corresponding cis-[Mo2(O2C-Fc)2(DArF)2] complexes were isolated as well via crystallization and verified unambiguously by X-ray crystallography. All novel complexes, namely, cis-[Mo2(O2C-Fc)2(DPhF)2] (cis-2a), cis-[Mo2(O2C-Fc)2(DTfmpF)2] (cis-2b), and trans-[Mo2(O2C-Fc)2(DAniF)2] (trans-2c), were studied regarding their electrochemical properties with respect to electrolyte, solvent, and ligand.

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Three novel cis-to-trans-converted dimolybdenum(II) complexes, trans-[Mo2(O2C-Fc)2(DPPX)2][BF4]2 {2a-2c; DPPX = DPPA [N,N-bis(diphenylphosphino)amine], DPPM [1,1-bis(diphenylphosphino)methane], and DPPE [1,2-bis(diphenylphosphino)ethane], respectively}, were synthesized through the insertion of bulky diphosphine ligands, which force a permanent trans arrangement, as evidenced by X-ray crystallography and density functional theory calculations. All compounds were characterized by means of NMR, UV-vis, and IR spectroscopy as well as thermogravimetry-mass spectrometry measurements. Interestingly, uncommon UV-vis transitions and oxidation sequences were observed compared to previously reported ones.

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By the reactions of Mn(III) Schiff-base complexes with the tricyanometalate building block, [(Tp)Cr(CN)(3)](-) (Tp = Tris(pyrazolyl) hydroborate), two couples of enantiomerically pure chiral cyano-bridged heterobimetallic one-dimensional (1D) chain complexes, [Mn((R,R)-Salcy)Cr(Tp)(CN)(3)·1/4H(2)O·1/2CH(2)Cl(2)](n) (1) and [Mn((S,S)-Salcy)Cr(Tp)(CN)(3)·1/4H(2)O·1/2CH(2)Cl(2)](n) (2) (Salcy = N,N'-(1,2-cyclohexanediylethylene)bis(salicylideneiminato) dianion), [Mn((R,R)-Salphen)Cr(Tp)(CN)(3)](n) (3) and [Mn((S,S)-Salphen)Cr(Tp)(CN)(3)](n) (4) (Salphen = N,N'-1,2-diphenylethylene-bis(salicylideneiminato) dianion), have been successfully synthesized. Circular dichroism (CD) spectra confirm the enantiomeric nature of the optically active complexes. Structural analyses reveal the formation of neutral cyano-bridged zigzag single chains in 1 and 2, and neutral cyano-bridged zigzag double chains in 3 and 4.

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