Origin of the High Density of Oxygen Vacancies at the Back Channel of Back-Channel-Etched a-InGaZnO Thin-Film Transistors.

This study reveals the pronounced density of oxygen vacancies (Vo) at the back channel of back-channel-etched (BCE) a-InGaZnO (a-IGZO) thin-film transistors (TFTs) results from the sputtered deposition rather than the wet etching process of the source/drain metal, and they are distributed within approximately 25 nm of the back surface. Furthermore, the existence and distribution depth of the high density of Vo defects are verified by means of XPS spectra analyses. Then, the mechanism through which the above Vo defects lead to the instability of BCE a-IGZO TFTs is elucidated.

High-Performance Osmotic Power Generators Based on the 1D/2D Hybrid Nanochannel System.

Extracting clean energy by converting the salinity gradient between river and sea into energy is an effective way to reduce the global pollution and carbon emissions. Reverse electrodialysis (RED) is of great importance to realize the energy conversion assisting the ion-selective membrane. However, its higher ion resistance and lower conversion efficiency results in the undesirable power conversion performance.

Sinapine Thiocyanate Inhibits the Proliferation and Mobility of Pancreatic Cancer Cells by Up-Regulating GADD45A.

Sinapine thiocyanate (ST), an alkaloid isolated from the seeds of cruciferous species, has exhibited anti-inflammatory, anti-malignancy, and anti-angiogenic effects in previous studies. However, the effects and molecular mechanisms of action of ST in pancreatic cancer (PC) are still limited. PC cells were treated with different concentrations (0, 20, 40, and 80 μM) of ST.

Fast synthesis of gold nanostar SERS substrates based on ion-track etched membrane by one-step redox reaction.

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS), due to its high detecting sensitivity and rapid data acquisition ability, has been considered as a powerful technique for label-free ultrasensitive detection of chemical and biochemical analytes. As an important part, the uniform SERS substrate is the prerequisite for this technology being used in all the related areas. Therefore, seeking the fast, convenient and low-cost way to obtain the SERS substrate with high performance and reproducibility never stops in recent decades.

Ionic Transport and Sieving Properties of Sub-nanoporous Polymer Membranes with Tunable Channel Size.

Bioinspired nanoporous membranes show great potential in ionic separation and water filtration by offering high selectivity with less permeation resistance. However, complex processes always limit their applications. Here, we report a convenient approach to introduce ionic selective channels in a micron-thick polycarbonate membrane through swift heavy ion irradiation accompanied by UV sensitization and pulsed-electrical etching.

Selectively Enhanced Ion Transport in Graphene Oxide Membrane/PET Conical Nanopore System.

Graphene oxide (GO) has become a promising 2D material in many areas, such as gas separation, seawater desalination, antibacterial materials, and so on because of its abundant oxygen-containing functional groups and excellent dispersibility in various solvents. The graphene oxide membrane (GOM), a laminar and channel-rich structure assembled by stacked GO nanosheets, served as a kind of precise and ultrafast separation material has attracted widespread attention in membrane separation field. To break the trade-off between ion permeability and ion selectivity of separation membrane based on GOM, GOM/conical nanopore system is obtained by spin-coating ultrathin GOM on PET conical nanopore, which possesses ion rectification property.

A high-performance non-enzymatic electrochemical hydrazine sensor based on NiCoS porous sphere.

A non-enzymatic electrochemical sensor-NiCoS/GCE was constructed for sensitive and selective detection of hydrazine (NH), which was designed based on porous nanostructure and synthesized through a facile hydrothermal method. The nanocomposite has been characterized using a series of characterizations such as X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopic (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), showing the porous NiCoS sphere was made of interconnected nanoparticles with porous structure. Electrochemical measurements revealed that the porous NiCoS sphere based sensor exhibited an excellent voltammetric response towards the NH oxidation with a wide linear range of 1.

Preparation of Ag@zeolitic imidazolate framework-67 at room temperature for electrochemical sensing of hydrogen peroxide.

In this work, a novel non-enzymatic hydrogen peroxide sensor, Ag@zeolitic imidazolate framework-67 (Ag@ZIF-67)/glassy carbon electrode (GCE), was fabricated by a simple method at room temperature. The morphology and structure of Ag@ZIF-67 were investigated by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, powder X-ray diffraction, atomic absorption spectrophotometry, and N2 absorption isotherms, which indicated that core-shell Ag@ZIF-67 was successfully synthesized with a porous rhombic dodecahedron structure. Electrochemical investigations demonstrated that the Ag@ZIF-67/GCE had strong electrocatalytic activity towards hydrogen peroxide reduction with a low detection limit of 1.

Combined effect of cellulose nanocrystals and poly(butylene succinate) on poly(lactic acid) crystallization: The role of interfacial affinity.

Poly (lactic acid) (PLA)/cellulose nanocrystals (CNC), poly(butylene succinate) (PBS)/CNC and PLA/PBS/CNC composite films were prepared using a solution-casting technique. CNCs can be used to enhance the crystallization of PLA by offering more nucleation sites, and PBS can increase spherulite growth rate of PLA by providing flexible chains. However, CNCs and PBS together tend to interfere with each other and thus enhancement in the crystallization of PLA is lost.

Biozeolite capping for reducing nitrogen load of the ancient canal in Yangzhou City.

Biozeolite capping for reducing nitrogen (N) load of an eutrophic canal in Yangzhou City was studied. Biofilm formation on biozeolite was cultivated by use of isolated nitrifiers and denitrifiers. Varying conditions including dissolved oxygen (DO) and origins of isolated bacteria were considered in our experiments.

Asparagine 175 of connexin32 is a critical residue for docking and forming functional heterotypic gap junction channels with connexin26.

The gap junction channel is formed by proper docking of two hemichannels. Depending on the connexin(s) in the hemichannels, homotypic and heterotypic gap junction channels can be formed. Previous studies suggest that the extracellular loop 2 (E2) is an important molecular domain for heterotypic compatibility.

[A indirect competitive ELISA to detect domoic acid in seawater and shellfish].

Objective: A competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was developed for measurent domoic acid (DA) in seawater and shellfish.

Methods: DA was coupled to bovine serum albumin (BSA) and ovalbumin (OVA) by carbodiimide reaction. DA-BSA as immunogen was injected in BALB/c mice.

[Effects of auricular acupuncture on the memory and the expression of ChAT and GFAP in model rats with Alzheimer's disease].

Objective: To observe the effects of auricular acupuncture on the learning and memory abilities of model rats with Alzheimer's disease (AD), and investigate its mechanism.

Methods: Thirty SD rats were randomly divided into a control group, a model group and an auricular acupuncture group, 10 rats in each group. The model rats with AD were established by multiple injections with Okadaic Acid into the CA1 region of hippocampus.