Single Atomic Cu-C Sites Catalyzed Interfacial Chemistry in Bi@C for Ultra-Stable and Ultrafast Sodium-Ion Batteries.

Regulating interfacial chemistry at electrode-electrolyte interface by designing catalytic electrode material is crucial and challenging for optimizing battery performance. Herein, a novel single atom Cu regulated Bi@C with Cu-C site (Bi@SA Cu-C) have been designed via the simple pyrolysis of metal-organic framework. Experimental investigations and theoretical calculations indicate the Cu-C sites accelerate the dissociation of P-F and C-O bonds in NaPF-ether-based electrolyte and catalyze the formation of inorganic-rich and powerful solid electrolyte interphase.

Calcination-Controlled Synthesis of Carbon Dots@MgF Composites with Yellow, White, and Ultraviolet-Blue Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence for Multilevel Information Encryption.

It is attractive but challenging to develop carbon dot (CD) based materials with tunable thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF), especially in the long wavelength region. Here, by simply calcinating the mixture of m-phenylenediamine and MgF at 300-500 °C, a series of CDs@MgF composites exhibiting yellow, white, and ultraviolet-blue TADF with high photoluminescence quantum yields of up to 37.6% are prepared.

Full-Color Dynamic Afterglow in Carbon Dot-Based Materials Regulated by Dual-Phosphorescence Resonance Energy Transfer.

Developing afterglow materials with wide-range and time-dependent colors is highly desirable but challenging. Herein, by calcinating the mixture of Rhodamine B and NHAl(OH)CO, carbon dots (CDs) are generated and in situ embedded in the porous AlO, forming the CDs@AlO composite, which exhibits time-dependent phosphorescence colors (TDPCs) from blue to green after excited by a UV lamp. Photophysical studies reveal that the blue phosphorescence with a short lifetime of 214 ms originates from the carbon core state, while the green phosphorescence with a long lifetime of 915 ms is associated with the surface state of CDs.

Merging Brain-Computer Interface P300 speller datasets: Perspectives and pitfalls.

Background: In the last decades, the P300 Speller paradigm was replicated in many experiments, and collected data were released to the public domain to allow research groups, particularly those in the field of machine learning, to test and improve their algorithms for higher performances of brain-computer interface (BCI) systems. Training data is needed to learn the identification of brain activity. The more training data are available, the better the algorithms will perform.

Pyrolysis of Al-Based Metal-Organic Frameworks to Carbon Dot-Porous Al O Composites With Time-Dependent Phosphorescence Colors for Advanced Information Encryption.

Phosphorescent materials with time-dependent phosphorescence colors (TDPCs) have great potential in advanced optical applications. Synthesis of such materials is attractive but challenging. Here, a series of carbon dot-porous Al O composites exhibiting distinctive TDPC characteristics is prepared by high-temperature pyrolysis of Al-based metal-organic frameworks NH -MIL-101(Al).

Assembly of Metal-Organic Frameworks on Transition Metal Phosphides as Self-Supported Electrodes for High-Performance Hybrid Supercapacitors.

In this work, the composite electrode composed of metal-organic frameworks and transition metal phosphides is first assembled on the nickel foam substrate. The as-prepared NiCo-MOF-74@NiP/NF exhibits excellent performances with ultrahigh specific capacitance (12.8 F/cm at 1 mA/cm), stable charge-discharge rate (82.

Orange emissive carbon dots for fluorescent determination of hypoxanthine in fish.

Sensitive determination of hypoxanthine (HX), an indicator reflecting the degradation of meat and fish, is significantly important in monitoring food freshness. Herein, we design a novel sensor consisting of orange emissive carbon dots (O-CDs), nitrotetrazolium blue chloride (NTBC), and xanthine oxidase (XOD) for fluorescence turn-off detection of HX. O-CDs, possessing a high fluorescence quantum yield of 37%, are synthesized by hydrothermal treatment of 2,3-diaminopyridine in sulfuric acid.

Fluorometric and colorimetric detection of cerium(IV) ion using carbon dots and bathophenanthroline-disulfonate-ferrum(II) complex.

Cerium, an abundant lanthanide element, is widely used in human industry. The accumulation of Ce ion, however, will damage the environment and biological organism. Therefore, its facile detection is highly needed.

Blue/yellow emissive carbon dots coupled with curcumin: a hybrid sensor toward fluorescence turn-on detection of fluoride ion.

Trace detection of fluoride ion has gained increasing attention due to fluoride's close association with biological and environmental processes. Herein, we construct a novel hybrid nanosystem consisting of carbon dots and curcumin for sensitive and selective sensing of F. Carbon dots are synthesized by hydrothermal treatment of 2,3-diaminopyridine and selenourea in hydrochloric acid.

Fluorescence detection of malachite green in fish tissue using red emissive Se,N,Cl-doped carbon dots.

Facile detection of malachite green (MG), a toxic dye, in aquaculture is urgently demanded for environment and food safety. Herein, we design a novel fluorescent probe, namely red emissive Se,N,Cl-doped carbon dots (CDs), to accurately determinate MG. CDs are prepared by hydrothermal treatment of selenourea and o-phenylenediamine in HCl solution.

MOF-assisted construction of a CoS@NiS/ZnS microplate array with ultrahigh areal specific capacity for advanced supercapattery.

Transition metal sulfides are important candidates of battery-type electrode materials for advanced supercapatteries due to their high electric conductivity and electrochemical activity. The Co9S8@Ni3S2/ZnS composite microplate array was prepared by a metal-organic framework-assisted strategy because the electrochemical properties of composite arrays are governed by the synergistic effects of their diverse structures and compositions. As a battery-type material, the Co9S8@Ni3S2/ZnS electrode expressed an ultrahigh areal specific capacity of 8192 C cm-2 at the current density of 2 mA cm-2, and excellent cycling stability of 79.

Sensitive detection of Sudan dyes using tire-derived carbon dots as a fluorescent sensor.

In this paper, we exploit an innovative strategy to reuse waste rubber tires as a low-cost source for the fabrication of a high-value material, fluorescent carbon dots (CDs). In the hydrothermal condition, ammonium persulphate is utilized to oxidize the tires and offer nitrogen atom for doping, to produce CDs with a high quantum yield (QY) of up to 23.8%.

MOF-derived BiO@C microrods as negative electrodes for advanced asymmetric supercapacitors.

Bismuth oxide (BiO) with high specific capacity has emerged as a promising negative electrode material for supercapacitors (SCs). Herein, we propose a facile metal-organic framework (MOF) derived strategy to prepare BiO microrods with a carbon coat (BiO@C). They exhibit ultrahigh specific capacity (1378 C g at 0.

Zeolitic imidazolate framework derived ZnCoO hollow tubular nanofibers for long-life supercapacitors.

Uniform one-dimensional metal oxide hollow tubular nanofibers (HTNs) have been controllably prepared using a calcination strategy using electrospun polymer nanofibers as soft templates and zeolitic imidazolate framework nanoparticles as precursors. Utilizing the general synthesis method, the ZnO HTNs, CoO HTNs and ZnCoO HTNs have been successfully prepared. The optimal ZnCoO HTNs, as a representative substance applied in supercapacitors as the positive electrode, delivers a high specific capacity of 181 C g at a current density of 0.

Yellow emissive Se,N-codoped carbon dots toward sensitive fluorescence assay of crystal violet.

Crystal violet (CV), a hazardous dye, poses a serious threat to the environment and human health. This motivates us to develop a facile method for its sensitive detection. Herein, we demonstrate a rapid sensing of CV using a novel fluorescent nanomaterial, yellow emissive Se,N-codoped carbon dots (CDs).

Sewage sludge in microwave oven: A sustainable synthetic approach toward carbon dots for fluorescent sensing of para-Nitrophenol.

Million tons of sewage sludge produced yearly creates a severe pollution problem to environment, and thus needs either to be properly disposed of, or recovered. Here, we demonstrate a value-added utilization of sewage sludge by converting its contained organics into nanosized carbon dots (CDs) with microwave irradiation. This synthetic method, using waste resources as precursors and avoiding the requirement of hazardous reagents and complex procedures, has the great advantage of low cost, environmental friendliness, and easy scalability.

Environmentally benign conversion of waste polyethylene terephthalate to fluorescent carbon dots for "on-off-on" sensing of ferric and pyrophosphate ions.

The increasing production of waste polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is a growing problem worldwide. Environmentally benign conversion of waste PET to valuable materials remains a substantial challenge. In this paper, we developed a green route to reuse waste PET for low-cost synthesis of fluorescent carbon dots (CDs) via air oxidation followed by hydrothermal treatment in aqueous HO solution.

Aptamer loaded MoS2 nanoplates as nanoprobes for detection of intracellular ATP and controllable photodynamic therapy.

In this work we designed a MoS2 nanoplate-based nanoprobe for fluorescence imaging of intracellular ATP and photodynamic therapy (PDT) via ATP-mediated controllable release of (1)O2. The nanoprobe was prepared by simply assembling a chlorine e6 (Ce6) labelled ATP aptamer on MoS2 nanoplates, which have favorable biocompatibility, unusual surface-area-to-mass ratio, strong affinity to single-stranded DNA, and can quench the fluorescence of Ce6. After the nanoprobe was internalized into the cells and entered ATP-abundant lysosomes, its recognition to ATP led to the release of the single-stranded aptamer from MoS2 nanoplates and thus recovered the fluorescence of Ce6 at an excitation wavelength of 633 nm, which produced a highly sensitive and selective method for imaging of intracellular ATP.

Ultra-bright near-infrared-emitting HgS/ZnS core/shell nanocrystals for in vitro and in vivo imaging.

Near-infrared (NIR)-emitting nanocrystals have enormous potential as an enabling technology for applications ranging from tunable infrared lasers to biological labels. Mercury chalcogenide NCs are one of the attractive NCs with NIR emission; however, the potential toxicity of Hg restricts their diverse applications. Herein, we synthesized low-toxic, highly luminescent and stable GSH-capped HgS/ZnS core/shell NCs by an aqueous route for the first time.

How do nitrogen-doped carbon dots generate from molecular precursors? An investigation of the formation mechanism and a solution-based large-scale synthesis.

A bottom-up method, using monoethanolamine (MEA) as both a passivation agent and a solvent, has been developed for rapid and massive synthesis of nitrogen-doped carbon dots (N-C-dots) from citric acid under heating conditions. This method requires a relatively mild temperature (170 °C) without special equipment, and affords one-pot large-scale production (39.96 g) of high-quality N-C-dots (quantum yield of 40.

Highly fluorescent, near-infrared-emitting Cd²⁺-tuned HgS nanocrystals with optical applications.

Bulk HgS itself has proven to be a technologically important material; however, the poor stability and weak emission of HgS nanocrystals have greatly hindered their promising applications. Presently, a critical problem is the uncontrollable growth of HgS NCs and their intrinsic surface states which are susceptible to the local environment. Here, we address the issue by an ion-tuning approach to fabricating stable, highly fluorescent Cd:HgS/CdS NCs for the first time, which efficiently tuned the band-gap level of HgS NCs, pushing their intrinsic states far away from the surface, reducing the strong interaction of the environment with surface states and hence drastically boosting the exciton transition.

Folate receptor-targeted and cathepsin B-activatable nanoprobe for in situ therapeutic monitoring of photosensitive cell death.

The integration of diagnostic and therapeutic functions in a single system holds great promise to enhance the theranostic efficacy and prevent the under- or overtreatment. Herein, a folate receptor-targeted and cathepsin B-activatable nanoprobe is designed for background-free cancer imaging and selective therapy. The nanoprobe is prepared by noncovalently assembling phospholipid-poly(ethylene oxide) modified folate and photosensitizer-labeled peptide on the surface of graphene oxide.

Feasibility and fidelity of practising surgical fixation on a virtual ulna bone.

Background: Surgical simulators provide a safe environment to learn and practise psychomotor skills. A goal for these simulators is to achieve high levels of fidelity. The purpose of this study was to develop a reliable surgical simulator fidelity questionnaire and to assess whether a newly developed virtual haptic simulator for fixation of an ulna has comparable levels of fidelity as Sawbones.

A comparison of orthopaedic resident performance on surgical fixation of an ulnar fracture using virtual reality and synthetic models.

Background: Surgical trainees develop surgical skills using various techniques, with simulators providing a safe learning environment. Fracture fixation is the most common procedure in orthopaedic surgery, and residents may benefit from simulated fracture fixation. The performance of residents on a virtual simulator that allows them to practice the surgical fixation of fractures by providing a sense of touch (haptics) has not yet been compared with their performance using other methods of practicing fracture fixation, such as a Sawbones simulator model.

Difference of perceiving object softness during palpation through single-node and multi-node contacts.

Virtual Reality (VR) simulators can offer alternatives for training procedures in the medical field. Most current VR simulators consider single-node contact for interacting with an object to convey displacement and force on a discrete mesh. However, a single-node contact does not closely simulate palpation, which requires a surface made of a multi-node contact to touch a soft object.