The Critical Isomerization Effect of Core Bromination on Nonfullerene Acceptors in Achieving High-Performance Organic Solar Cells with Low Energy Loss.

Highly efficient nonfullerene acceptors (NFAs) for organic solar cells (OSCs) with low energy loss (E) and favorable morphology are critical for breaking the efficiency bottleneck and achieving commercial applications of OSCs. In this work, quinoxaline-based NFAs are designed and synthesized using a synergistic isomerization and bromination approach. The π-expanded quinoxaline-fused core exhibits different bromination sites for isomeric NFAs, namely AQx-21 and AQx-22.

Colon-targeted engineered postbiotics nanoparticles alleviate osteoporosis through the gut-bone axis.

The potential for mitigating intestinal inflammation through the gut-bone axis in the treatment of osteoporosis is significant. While various gut-derived postbiotics or bacterial metabolites have been created as dietary supplements to prevent or reverse bone loss, their efficacy and safety still need improvement. Herein, a colon-targeted drug delivery system is developed using surface engineering of polyvinyl butyrate nanoparticles by shellac resin to achieve sustained release of postbiotics butyric acid at the colorectal site.

Potent prophylactic cancer vaccines harnessing surface antigens shared by tumour cells and induced pluripotent stem cells.

The development of prophylactic cancer vaccines typically involves the selection of combinations of tumour-associated antigens, tumour-specific antigens and neoantigens. Here we show that membranes from induced pluripotent stem cells can serve as a tumour-antigen pool, and that a nanoparticle vaccine consisting of self-assembled commercial adjuvants wrapped by such membranes robustly stimulated innate immunity, evaded antigen-specific tolerance and activated B-cell and T-cell responses, which were mediated by epitopes from the abundant number of antigens shared between the membranes of tumour cells and pluripotent stem cells. In mice, the vaccine elicited systemic antitumour memory T-cell and B-cell responses as well as tumour-specific immune responses after a tumour challenge, and inhibited the progression of melanoma, colon cancer, breast cancer and post-operative lung metastases.

Enhanced Antibody Response to the Conformational Non-RBD Region DNA Prime-Protein Boost Elicits Broad Cross-Neutralization Against SARS-CoV-2 Variants.

Preventing immune escape of SARS-CoV-2 variants is crucial in vaccine development to ensure broad protection against the virus. Conformational epitopes beyond the RBD region are vital components of the spike protein but have received limited attention in the development of broadly protective SARS-CoV-2 vaccines. In this study, we used a DNA prime-protein boost regimen to evaluate the broad cross-neutralization potential of immune response targeting conformational non-RBD region against SARS-CoV-2 viruses in mice.

Ultrafast Thermal Switching Enabled by Transient Polaritons.

Ultrafast thermal switches are pivotal for managing heat generated in advanced solid-state applications, including high-speed chiplets, thermo-optical modulators, and on-chip lasers. However, conventional phonon-based switches cannot meet the demand for picosecond-level response times, and existing near-field radiative thermal switches face challenges in efficiently modulating heat transfer across vacuum gaps. To overcome these limitations, we propose an ultrafast thermal switch design based on pump-driven transient polaritons in asymmetric terminals.

Neurotransmitter-Mimicking Nanovesicles Facilitate Postoperative Glioblastoma Stem Cell-Specific Treatment for Preventing Tumor Recurrence.

Survival quality of glioblastoma (GBM) patients remains undesirable despite the aggressive multimodal treatment methods implemented, which are strongly associated with tumor recurrence after surgical resection. Self-renewal and strong tumourigenic capacity of glioblastoma stem cells (GSCs) at the narrow margin of the incision are essential factors driving tumor secondary strikes. Currently, the challenges in treating postoperative residual GSCs are mainly due to the lack of materials for incision and GSCs targeting.

Facile On-Substrate Fabrication of Silver Coordination Polymer Nanowires for Sustainable and Efficient Water Disinfection.

Silver, as the oldest antibacterial material, has been almost replaced by other alternatives for its insufficient activity or potential side-effects on the ecosystem due to the over-release of Ag ions (Ag). Herein, a facile and general strategy is developed to on-substrate fabricate silver coordination polymer nanowire arrays (Ag CPN) by simply immersing Ag-containing substrates into cationic surfactant solution at room temperature. Such a Ag CPN not only provides high-surface-area nano-biointerfaces for destroying microorganisms via physicomechanical interactions but also acts as a safe Ag reservoir, steadily releasing Ag at a relatively high but safe level (∼40 ppb, but lower than the safe level of 100 ppb).

Ferroelectric Polarization Coupling Effect in BiFeO/α-InSe Ferroelectric Field Effect Transistor for Stable Non-volatile Memory.

Ferroelectric field-effect transistors (FeFETs) commonly utilize traditional oxide ferroelectric materials for their strong remanent polarization. Yet, integrating them with the standard complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) process is challenging due to the need for lattice matching and the high-temperature rapid thermal annealing process, which are not always compatible with CMOS fabrication. However, the advent of the ferroelectric semiconductor α-InSe offers a compelling solution to these challenges.

Perovskite CsCuClxBr3- x Microcrystals: Band Structure, Photochemical Stability, and Photocatalytic Properties.

Although Pb-based metal halide perovskites (MHPs) have excellent photoelectric characteristics, their toxicity remains a limiting factor for their widespread application. In the paper, a series of CsCuClxBr3-x (x = 1, 2, 3) MHP microcrystals were developed and their hydrogen evolution performance in ethanol and HX (X = Cl, Br) was also studied. Among them, CsCuCl3 microcrystals exhibit high hydrogen evolution performance in both HX and ethanol, attributed to their longest average lifetime and suitable band structure.

A perspective of lipid nanoparticles for RNA delivery.

Over the last two decades, lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) have evolved as an effective biocompatible and biodegradable RNA delivery platform in the fields of nanomedicine, biotechnology, and drug delivery. They are novel bionanomaterials that can be used to encapsulate a wide range of biomolecules, such as mRNA, as demonstrated by the current successes of COVID-19 mRNA vaccines. Therefore, it is important to provide a perspective on LNPs for RNA delivery, which further offers useful guidance for researchers who want to work in the RNA-based LNP field.

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy by liposomal doxorubicin boosts immune protection of tumor membrane antigens-based nanovaccine.

Autologous tumor cell membrane antigen-based vaccines (TMVs) have garnered extensive attention as personalized immunotherapy. However, patients who take TMVs therapy usually undergo various treatments prior to surgery, and these processes modulate the immunogenicity of the tumor membrane and the tumor immune microenvironment. Herein, we investigate the impact of preoperative chemotherapy on the efficacy of TMVs.

Biomedical applications of the engineered AIEgen-lipid nanostructureand.

Since the concept of aggregation-induced emission (AIE) was first coined by Tang and co-workers, AIE-active luminogens (AIEgens) have drawn widespread attention among chemists and biologists due to their unique advantages such as high fluorescence efficiency, large Stokes shift, good photostability, low background noise, and high biological visualization capabilities in the aggregated state, surpassing conventional fluorophores. A growing number of AIEgens have been engineered to possess multifunctional properties, including near-infrared emission, two-photon absorption, reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and photothermal conversion, making them suitable for deep-tissue imaging and phototherapy. AIEgens show great potential in biomedical applicationsand.

Programmable Morphology-Adaptive Peptide Nanoassembly for Enhanced Catalytic Therapy.

Nanocatalytic therapy holds significant promise in cancer treatment by exploiting the high oxidative stress within tumor cells. However, efficiently delivering nanocatalytic agents to tumor tissues and maximizing their catalytic activity in situ remain critical challenges. Morphology-adaptive delivery systems, capable of adjusting their physical form in response to physiological conditions, offer unique spatiotemporal control for navigating complex biological environments like the tumor microenvironment.

Chiral Metal-Free Anti-Perovskite with Strong Chiroptical Nonlinearity.

The nonlinear chiroptical properties of chiral metal halide perovskite has attracted substantial attention in recent years. In order to overcome the inherent limitations of metal halide, such as high costs, potential toxicity, challenges with recycling, especially the limited laser-induced damage threshold (LDT), we have successfully constructed the first chiral metal-free anti-perovskite, with the aim of utilizing it in second harmonic generation-circular dichroism (SHG-CD). Moreover, the anti-perovskite composed entirely of small organic ions typically display a more extensive transparent window, which could contribute a high LDT.

Position-Regulated Electrostatic Interactions for Single Amino Acid Revealed by Aspartic Acid-Scanning Mutagenesis.

We have examined in this contribution the electrostatic interactions between single arginine and aspartic acid by analyzing the peptide-peptide binding characteristics involving arginine-aspartic acid, arginine-glycine, arginine-tryptophan and tryptophan-glycine interactions. The results of aspartic acid mutagenesis revealed that the interactions between arginine and aspartic acid have significant dependence on the position and composition of amino acids. While the primary interaction can be attributed to arginine-tryptophan contacts originated from the indole moieties with the main chains of 14-mers containing N-H and C=O moieties, pronounced enhancement could be identified in association with the electrostatic side-chain-side-chain interactions between arginine and aspartic acid.

Second-Shell Coordination Environment Modulation for MnN Active Sites by Oxygen Doping to Boost Oxygen Reduction Performance.

As a category of transition metal-nitrogen-carbon (M-N-C) catalysts, Mn-based single-atom catalysts (SACs) are considered as promising non-precious metal catalysts for stable oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) due to their Fenton-inactive character (versus Fe) and more abundant earth reserves (versus Ni, Co). However, their ORR activity is unsatisfactory. Besides, the structure-activity relationship via tuning the coordination environment of the second coordination shell for transition metal single sites is still elusive.

Increased perfluorooctanoic acid accumulation facilitates the migration and invasion of lung cancer cells via remodeling cell mechanics.

Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are widely used in industrial and household products, raising serious concerns due to their environmental persistence and mobility. Epidemiological studies have reported potential carcinogenic risks of PFAS based on their widespread occurrence and population exposure. In this study, we observed that perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), a common PFAS, functions as a mechanical regulator in lung cancer cells.

Near-Infrared Light-Triggered Cascade Nanosystems for Spatiotemporally Controlled Gene-Silencing and Gas Synergistic Cancer Therapy.

Despite the tremendous potential of DNAzymes in gene therapy, achieving gene regulation with spatiotemporal precision and satisfactory efficacy remains a key challenge. Herein, we developed a near-infrared light (NIR)-triggered cascade effect system that enables precise spatiotemporal gene silencing and gas-synergistic cancer therapy. This nanoplatform was constructed using an enzyme-activatable DNAzyme, a nitric oxide (NO) precursor, and upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs).

Nanotechnology-Enabled Targeted Protein Degradation for Cancer Therapeutics.

Targeted protein degradation (TPD) represents an innovative therapeutic strategy that has garnered considerable attention from both academic and industrial sectors due to its promising developmental prospects. Approximately 85% of human proteins are implicated in disease pathogenesis, and the FDA has approved around 400 drugs targeting these disease-related proteins, predominantly enzymes, transcription factors, and non-enzymatic proteins. However, existing therapeutic modalities fail to address certain "high-value" targets, such as c-Myc and Ras.

General and Versatile Nanoarchitectonics for Amino Acid-Based Glasses via Co-Assembly of Organic Counterions.

Amino acid-based biomolecular glasses represent an emerging material to meet the demand for sustainable development. However, most amino acids are difficult to vitrify due to their strong crystallization tendency, limiting further advancements of this field. In this study, we demonstrate that the introduction of counterions effectively suppresses crystallization, as hydrogen bonds within the system stabilize the disordered structures.

Functionalized Iron Oxide Nanoparticles for Both Dual-Modal Imaging and Erythropoiesis.

Cancer-related anemia (CRA), a complication of cancer, is considered the primary cause of high mortality for cancer patients. Safe and effective theranostics are desirable for realizing the high diagnostic accuracy of tumors and ameliorating CRA in the clinic. However, the available theranostics do not support dual-modal imaging and the amelioration of CRA at the same time.

The development of paliperidone nanocrystals for the treatment of schizophrenia.

Schizophrenia is a complex and chronic psychiatric disorder that significantly impacts patients' quality of life. Ranking 12th among 310 diseases and injuries that result in disability, the number of patients suffering from schizophrenia continues to rise, emphasizing the urgent need for developing effective treatments. Despite the availability of effective antipsychotic drugs, over 80% of patients taking oral antipsychotics experience relapses, primarily caused by non-adherence as the high dosing frequency is required.

In Situ Transformable Nanoparticle Effectively Suppresses Bladder Cancer by Damaging Mitochondria and Blocking Mitochondrial Autophagy Flux.

Tumor therapeutic strategies based on mitochondrial damage have become an emerging trend. However, the low drug delivery efficiency caused by lysosomal sequestration and the activation of protective mitochondrial autophagy severely restricts the therapeutic efficacy. Herein, an in situ transformable nanoparticle named KCKT is developed to promote lysosomal escape and directly damage mitochondria while blocking mitochondrial autophagy.