Solvent Dependent Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Molecular Parameters Based on a Polarization Consistent Screened Range Separated Hybrid Density Functional Theory Framework.

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) properties of solvated molecules are significantly affected by the solvent. We, therefore, employ a polarization consistent framework that efficiently addresses the solvent polarizing environment effects. Toward this goal a dielectric screened range separated hybrid (SRSH) functional is invoked with a polarizable continuum model (PCM) to properly represent the orbital gap in the condensed phase.

Cellulose Nanocrystals (CNC)-Based Functional Materials for Supercapacitor Applications.

The growth of industrialization and the population has increased the usage of fossil fuels, resulting in the emission of large amounts of CO This serious environmental issue can be abated by using sustainable and environmentally friendly materials with promising novel and superior performance as an alternative to petroleum-based plastics. Emerging nanomaterials derived from abundant natural resources have received considerable attention as candidates to replace petroleum-based synthetic polymers. As renewable materials from biomass, cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) nanomaterials exhibit unique physicochemical properties, low cost, biocompatibility and biodegradability.

Electrically controlling and optically observing the membrane potential of supported lipid bilayers.

Supported lipid bilayers are a well-developed model system for the study of membranes and their associated proteins, such as membrane channels, enzymes, and receptors. These versatile model membranes can be made from various components, ranging from simple synthetic phospholipids to complex mixtures of constituents, mimicking the cell membrane with its relevant physiochemical and molecular phenomena. In addition, the high stability of supported lipid bilayers allows for their study via a wide array of experimental probes.

Super-resolution Imaging of Plasmonic Near-Fields: Overcoming Emitter Mislocalizations.

Plasmonic nano-objects have shown great potential in enhancing applications like biological/chemical sensing, light harvesting and energy transfer, and optical/quantum computing. Therefore, an extensive effort has been vested in optimizing plasmonic systems and exploiting their field enhancement properties. Super-resolution imaging with quantum dots (QDs) is a promising method to probe plasmonic near-fields but is hindered by the distortion of the QD radiation pattern.

Correction: Synthesis and characterization of a new ZIF-67@MgAlO nanocomposite and its adsorption behaviour.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1039/D1RA01056E.].

Layered Si-Ti oxide thin films with tailored electrical and optical properties by catalytic tandem MLD-ALD.

Oxides with well-controlled optical and electrical properties are key for numerous advances in nanotechnology, including energy, catalysis, sensors, and device applications. In this study we introduce layer-by-layer deposition of silicon-titanium layered oxide (Si-Ti LO) thin films using combined MLD-ALD methodology (M/ALD). The Si-Ti LO film deposition is achieved by acid-base catalysis establishing an overall catalytic tandem M/ALD super cycle (CT-M/ALD).

Design and characterization of Persian gum/polyvinyl alcohol electrospun nanofibrous scaffolds for cell culture applications.

Biocompatible electrospun nanofiber scaffolds were fabricated in this study using Persian gum (PG) and poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) to build an artificial extracellular matrix for cell growth. The preparation procedure involves mixing various ratios of PG/PVA to be electrospun and seeded with L929 fibroblasts. Upon addition of PG up to 60% to the solutions, a 30% decrease to around 240 μs·cm is found in electrical conductivity which is in the range of semi-conductive polymers, whereas the surface tension is increased to around 3%.

The conformational plasticity of the selectivity filter methionines controls the in-cell Cu(I) uptake through the CTR1 transporter.

Copper is a trace element vital to many cellular functions. Yet its abnormal levels are toxic to cells, provoking a variety of severe diseases. The high affinity copper transporter 1 (CTR1), being the main in-cell copper [Cu(I)] entry route, tightly regulates its cellular uptake via a still elusive mechanism.

Optical reciprocity induced wavefront shaping for axial and lateral shifting of focus through a scattering medium.

Light propagating along a reversed path experiences the same transmission coefficient as in the forward direction, independent of the path complexity. This is called the optical reciprocity of light, which is valid for not too intense scattering media as well. Hence, by utilizing the reciprocity principle, the proposed novel technique can achieve axially and laterally tunable focus, non-invasively, through a scattering media without a priori knowledge or modeling of its scattering properties.

Rhenium Sulfide Incorporated in Molybdenum Sulfide Nanosheets for High-Performance Symmetric Supercapacitors with Enhanced Capacitance.

Supercapacitors are considered potential energy storage devices and have drawn significant attention due to their superior intrinsic advantages. Herein, we report the synthesis of ReS embedded in MoS nanosheets (RMS-31) by a hydrothermal technique. The prepared RMS-31 electrode material demonstrated superior pseudocapacitive behavior in 1 M KOH electrolyte solution, which is confirmed by the heterostructure of RMS-31 nanosheet architectures.

Synthesis of Doped/Hybrid Carbon Dots and Their Biomedical Application.

Carbon dots (CDs) are a novel type of carbon-based nanomaterial that has gained considerable attention for their unique optical properties, including tunable fluorescence, stability against photobleaching and photoblinking, and strong fluorescence, which is attributed to a large number of organic functional groups (amino groups, hydroxyl, ketonic, ester, and carboxyl groups, etc.). In addition, they also demonstrate high stability and electron mobility.

Molecular differences in collagen organization and in organic-inorganic interfacial structure of bones with and without osteocytes.

Bone is a fascinating biomaterial composed mostly of type-I collagen fibers as an organic phase, apatite as an inorganic phase, and water molecules residing at the interfaces between these phases. They are hierarchically organized with minor constituents such as non-collagenous proteins, citrate ions and glycosaminoglycans into a composite structure that is mechanically durable yet contains enough porosity to accommodate cells and blood vessels. The nanometer scale organization of the collagen fibrous structure and the mineral constituents in bone were recently extensively scrutinized.

Design of polysaccharidicgel incorporated PVA/tetracycline electrospun cell culture scaffolds for biomedical applications.

In this study, hybrid nanofibrous 3D scaffolds containing(AV), polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and tetracycline hydrochloride (TCH) are fabricated by electrospinning for cell culture applications. The role of polysaccharides present in AV gel is found to enhance the biocompatibility of the nanofibrous scaffolds. Different combinations of the polymers were selected to produce homogenous nanofibers with favorable mean fiber diameter and tensile strength.

Mussel-Inspired Polynorepinephrine/MXene-Based Magnetic Nanohybrid for Electromagnetic Interference Shielding in X-Band and Strain-Sensing Performance.

The current work delivers preparation of MXene-based magnetic nanohybrid coating for flexible electronic applications. Herein, we report carbon dot-triggered photopolymerized polynorepinepherene (PNE)-coated MXene and iron oxide hybrid deposited on the cellulose microporous membrane via a vacuum-assisted filtration strategy. The surface morphologies have been monitored by scanning electron microscopy analysis, and the coating thickness was evaluated by the gallium-ion-based focused ion beam method.

Wafer-Scalable Single-Layer Amorphous Molybdenum Trioxide.

Molybdenum trioxide (MoO), an important transition metal oxide (TMO), has been extensively investigated over the past few decades due to its potential in existing and emerging technologies, including catalysis, energy and data storage, electrochromic devices, and sensors. Recently, the growing interest in two-dimensional (2D) materials, often rich in interesting properties and functionalities compared to their bulk counterparts, has led to the investigation of 2D MoO. However, the realization of large-area true 2D (single to few atom layers thick) MoO is yet to be achieved.

Vibrational Strong Light-Matter Coupling in an Open Microcavity Based on Reflective Germanium Coatings.

Open microcavities (OMCs) enable tuning of the optical resonances of a system and insertion of different materials between the mirrors. They are of large scientific interest due to their many potential applications. Using OMCs, we can observe strong light-matter coupling while tuning the cavity wavelength.

Microfluidic tool for rapid functional characterization of CRISPR complexes.

RNA guided nucleases are regarded as the future genome editing technologies. As such, they need to meet strong safety margins. Two major challenges in incorporating CRISPR technologies into the clinical world are off-target activity and editing efficiency.

Designing Natural Polymer-Based Capsules and Spheres for Biomedical Applications-A Review.

Natural polymers, such as polysaccharides and polypeptides, are potential candidates to serve as carriers of biomedical cargo. Natural polymer-based carriers, having a core-shell structural configuration, offer ample scope for introducing multifunctional capabilities and enable the simultaneous encapsulation of cargo materials of different physical and chemical properties for their targeted delivery and sustained and stimuli-responsive release. On the other hand, carriers with a porous matrix structure offer larger surface area and lower density, in order to serve as potential platforms for cell culture and tissue regeneration.

Optical probing of local membrane potential with fluorescent polystyrene beads.

The study of electrical activity in single cells and local circuits of excitable cells, such as neurons, requires an easy-to-use, high-throughput methodology that allows for the measurement of membrane potential. Investigating the electrical properties in specific subcompartments of neurons, or in a specific type of neurons, introduces additional complexity. An optical voltage-imaging technique that allows high spatial and temporal resolution could be an ideal solution.

Coherent, super-resolved radar beamforming using self-supervised learning.

High-resolution automotive radar sensors are required to meet the high bar of autonomous vehicle needs and regulations. However, current radar systems are limited in their angular resolution, causing a technological gap. An industry and academic trend to improve angular resolution by increasing the number of physical channels also increases system complexity, requires sensitive calibration processes, lowers robustness to hardware malfunctions, and drives higher costs.

Design of Magnetic Hydrogels for Hyperthermia and Drug Delivery.

Hydrogels are spatially organized hydrophilic polymeric systems that exhibit unique features in hydrated conditions. Among the hydrogel family, composite hydrogels are a special class that are defined as filler-containing systems with some tailor-made properties. The composite hydrogel family includes magnetic-nanoparticle-integrated hydrogels.

Photoacoustic measurement of localized optical dichroism in chiral crystals.

In this communication, we present a novel method to measure local optical dichroism (OD) in opaque crystal powder suspensions using photoacoustic (PA) effect. Our method is based upon the novel laser speckle contrast technique, in combination with a simple statistical approach, we were able to measure the OD of chiral crystals suspensions under completely random orientation.

Biocompatibility of electrospun cell culture scaffolds made from balangu seed mucilage/PVA composites.

Synthesis of Balangu () seed mucilage (BSM) solutions combined with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) was studied for the purpose of producing 3D electrospun cell culture scaffolds. Production of pure BSM nanofibers proved to be difficult, yet integration of PVA contributed to a facile and successful formation of BSM/PVA nanofibers. Different BSM/PVA ratios were fabricated to achieve the desired nanofibrous structure for cell proliferation.