Metal chalcogenide nanoparticles offer vast control over their optoelectronic properties via size, shape, composition, and morphology which has led to their use across fields including optoelectronics, energy storage, and catalysis. While cadmium and lead-based nanocrystals are prevalent in applications, concerns over their toxicity have motivated researchers to explore alternate classes of nanomaterials based on environmentally benign metals such as zinc and tin. The goal of this research is to identify material systems that offer comparable performance to existing metal chalcogenide systems from abundant, recyclable, and environmentally benign materials. With band gaps that span the visible through the infrared, II-V direct band gap semiconductors such as tetragonal zinc phosphide (α-Zn3P2) are promising candidates for optoelectronics. To date, syntheses of α-Zn3P2 nanoparticles have been hindered because of the toxicity of zinc and phosphorus precursors, surface oxidation, and defect states leading to carrier trapping and low photoluminescence quantum yield. This work reports a colloidal synthesis of quantum confined α-Zn3P2 nanoparticles from common phosphorus precursor tris(trimethylsilyl)phosphine and environmentally benign zinc carboxylates. Shelling of the nanoparticles with zinc sulfide is shown as a method of preventing oxidation and improving the optical properties of the nanoparticles. These results show a route to stabilizing α-Zn3P2 nanoparticles for optoelectronic device applications.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/d0nr06665f | DOI Listing |
Pathogens
December 2024
Department of Otolaryngology and Laryngological Oncology, Poznań University of Medical Sciences, Przybyszewskiego 49 St., 60-355 Poznań, Poland.
Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is a common inflammatory disease of the paranasal sinuses with a yet unknown etiology. As studies continue to elucidate the disease's heterogeneity inflammatory profile and presentation, there is a growing interest in the influence of the nasal microbiome on disease pathogenesis and chronicity. The sinus microbiota appear dominated by the and genera; known upper airway pathogens, such as , are present in the upper airways of healthy individuals, though at relatively lower abundances than in CRS patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMolecules
January 2025
Department of Chemistry, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, China.
This review highlights significant advances in iron-catalyzed cross-dehydrogenative coupling (CDC), a method pivotal for forming carbon-carbon (C-C) bonds directly from C-H bonds. This technique uses iron-a naturally abundant, inexpensive, and environmentally benign transition metal-as a catalyst to facilitate the coupling of two unfunctionalized C-H bonds. This method stands out for avoiding pre-functionalized substrates, reducing both waste and cost in organic synthesis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAging Cell
January 2025
School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK.
The developmental theory of ageing proposes that age-specific decline in the force of natural selection results in suboptimal levels of gene expression in adulthood, leading to functional senescence. This theory explicitly predicts that optimising gene expression in adulthood can ameliorate functional senescence and improve fitness. Reduced insulin/IGF-1 signalling (rIIS) extends the reproductive lifespan of Caenorhabditis elegans at the cost of reduced reproduction.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBioengineering (Basel)
January 2025
Tissue Bioengineering Laboratory, Division of Graduate Studies and Research, Faculty of Dentistry, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Circuito Exterior s/n, University City, Coyoacán, Mexico City 04510, Mexico.
In the last thirty years, tissue engineering (TI) has emerged as an alternative method to regenerate tissues and organs and restore their function by implanting specific lineage cells, growth factors, or biomolecules functionalizing a matrix scaffold. Recently, several pathologies have led to bone loss or damage, such as malformations, bone resorption associated with benign or malignant tumors, periodontal disease, traumas, and others in which a discontinuity in tissue integrity is observed. Bone tissue is characterized by different stiffness, mechanical traction, and compression resistance as a function of the different compartments, which can influence susceptibility to injury or destruction.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnviron Toxicol Chem
January 2025
Environmental Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, IL, 60439, USA.
The leakage and accumulation of plastic in the environment is a significant and growing problem with numerous detrimental impacts and has led to a push toward the design and development of more environmentally benign materials. To this end we have developed a quantum chemistry (QC) based model for predicting the mobility of polymer materials from molecular structure. Hydrophobicity is used as a surrogate for mobility given that hydrophobic interactions drive much of the partitioning of contaminants in and out of various environmentally relevant compartments.
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