Black phosphorus/silk fibroin films hamper filamentous and invasive growth of .

The ability of fungi and bacteria to form biofilms on surfaces poses a serious threat to health and a problem in industrial settings. In this work, we investigated how the surface stiffness of silk fibroin (SF) films is modulated by the interaction with black phosphorus (BP) flakes, quantifying the morphogenesis of cells. Raman and infrared (IR) spectroscopies, along with scanning transmission electron microscopy, allowed us to quantify the thickness and diameter of BP flakes dispersed in the SF matrix (, 5.

Influence of symmetry breaking on the absorption spectrum of crystal violet: from isolated cations at 5 K to room temperature solutions.

We report the resolution of a long-standing puzzle in molecular spectroscopy: the origin of the shoulder in the room temperature solution absorption spectrum of crystal violet (CV) - an archetypal cationic triphenylmethane dye. This was achieved by comparing experimental and theoretical results for CV in solution at room temperature and as an isolated cation in gas-phase at 5 K. The two lowest energy electronically excited states involved in the visible region absorption are degenerate and coupled a Jahn-Teller (JT) mechanism involving phenyl torsions, making CV particularly sensitive to environmental perturbations.

In Vitro Mucoadhesive Features of Gliadin Nanoparticles Containing Thiamine Hydrochloride.

Background: Gliadins have aroused significant interest in the last decade as suitable biomaterials for food and pharmaceutical applications. In particular, the oral route is the preferred method of administration for gliadin-based formulations, due to the affinity of this biomaterial for the gut mucosa. However, up to now, this has been demonstrated only by means of in vivo or ex vivo studies.

Photo-induced microfluidic production of ultrasmall platinum nanoparticles.

We describe here the synthesis of ultrasmall Pt nanoparticles (NPs) obtained by a robust and reliable protocol using UV-Vis photoreduction of a platinum salt precursor, under continuous flow conditions. These ligand-free Pt NPs were rapidly dispersed onto a solid support or stabilized towards aggregation as a colloidal solution by the addition of an appropriate ligand in the reaction mixture. The proposed protocol exploits a microfluidic platform where the Pt precursor is photo-reduced to small Pt NPs (1.

Dependence of the crystal structure on the d-units amount in semi-crystalline poly(lactic acid).

The study investigates the impact of the d-lactic acid units content on the crystallinity and crystal structure of commercial poly(lactic acid) (PLA) grades, which are copolymers of poly(l-lactic acid) (PLLA) containing a minor amount of d-units. As the d-units content increases, a detectable decrease in crystallinity was observed along with a simultaneous rise in mobile amorphous fraction (MAF) and a reduction in rigid amorphous fraction (RAF). The percentage of d-units was found not to significantly affect RAF thickness, suggesting that the d-units are not completely excluded from the crystals.

Efficient near-infrared organic light-emitting diodes with emission from spin doublet excitons.

The development of luminescent organic radicals has resulted in materials with excellent optical properties for near-infrared emission. Applications of light generation in this range span from bioimaging to surveillance. Although the unpaired electron arrangements of radicals enable efficient radiative transitions within the doublet-spin manifold in organic light-emitting diodes, their performance is limited by non-radiative pathways introduced in electroluminescence.

Gold nanorod-assisted theranostic solution for nonvisible residual disease in bladder cancer.

Residual nonvisible bladder cancer after proper treatment caused by technological and therapeutic limitations is responsible for tumor relapse and progression. This study aimed to demonstrate the feasibility of a solution for simultaneous detection and treatment of bladder cancer lesions smaller than one millimeter. The α5β1 integrin was identified as a specific marker in 81% of human high-grade nonmuscle invasive bladder cancers and used as a target for the delivery of targeted gold nanorods (GNRs).

Melting Curve of Black Phosphorus: Evidence for a Solid-Liquid-Liquid Triple Point.

Black phosphorus (bP) is a crystalline material that can be seen as an ordered stacking of two-dimensional layers, which results in outstanding anisotropic physical properties. The knowledge of its pressure ()-temperature () phase diagram, and in particular, of its melting curve is fundamental for a better understanding of the synthesis and stability conditions of this element. Despite the numerous studies devoted to this subject, significant uncertainties remain regarding the determination of the position and slope of its melting curve.

A robust Fe-based heterogeneous photocatalyst for the visible-light-mediated selective reduction of an impure CO stream.

The transformation of CO into value-added products from an impure CO stream, such as flue gas or exhaust gas, directly contributes to the principle of carbon capture and utilization (CCU). Thus, we have developed a robust iron-based heterogeneous photocatalyst that can convert the exhaust gas from the car into CO with an exceptional production rate of 145 μmol g h. We characterized this photocatalyst by PXRD, XPS, ssNMR, EXAFS, XANES, HR-TEM, and further provided mechanistic experiments, and multi-scale/level computational studies.

Exciton Transport in the Nonfullerene Acceptor O-IDTBR from Nonadiabatic Molecular Dynamics.

Theory, computation, and experiment have given strong evidence that charge carriers in organic molecular crystals form partially delocalized quantum objects that diffuse very efficiently via a mechanism termed transient delocalization. It is currently unclear how prevalent this mechanism is for exciton transport. Here we carry out simulation of singlet Frenkel excitons (FE) in a molecular organic semiconductor that belongs to the class of nonfullerene acceptors, O-IDTBR, using the recently introduced FE surface hopping nonadiabatic molecular dynamics method.

Long-Term Conservation for the Safeguard of : An Endemic and Endangered Species of Sicily.

The combined approaches between ex situ and in situ conservation are of great importance for threatened species in urgent need of protection. This study aims to develop concrete actions to preserve the relic of 30 adult trees of the Sicilian fir () from extinction using long-term germplasm conservation in liquid nitrogen (LN, -196 °C). Pollen grains were collected, and their moisture content (MC) was measured.

Gold-Hydrogel Nanocomposites for High-Resolution Laser-Based 3D Printing of Scaffolds with SERS-Sensing Properties.

Although visible light-based stereolithography (SLA) represents an affordable technology for the rapid prototyping of 3D scaffolds for in vitro support of cells, its potential could be limited by the lack of functional photocurable biomaterials that can be SLA-structured at micrometric resolution. Even if innovative photocomposites showing biomimetic, bioactive, or biosensing properties have been engineered by loading inorganic particles into photopolymer matrices, main examples rely on UV-assisted extrusion-based low-resolution processes. Here, SLA-printable composites were obtained by mixing a polyethylene glycol diacrylate (PEGDA) hydrogel with multibranched gold nanoparticles (NPs).

Probing the alterations in mice cecal content due to high-fat diet.

The global prevalence of obesity more than doubled between 1990 and 2022. By 2022, 2.5 billion adults aged 18 and older were overweight, with over 890 million of them living with obesity.

On the Electrochemical Growth of a Crystalline p-n Junction From Aqueous Solutions.

Our society largely relies on inorganic semiconductor devices which are, so far, fabricated using expensive and complex processes requiring ultra-high vacuum equipment. Here we report on the possibility of growing a p-n junction taking advantage of electrochemical processes based on the use of aqueous solutions. The growth of the junction has been carried out using the Electrochemical Atomic Layer Deposition (E-ALD) technique, which allowed to sequentially deposit two different semiconductors, CdS and CuS, on an Ag(111) substrate, in a single procedure.

Nanocellulose-Bovine Serum Albumin Interactions in an Aqueous Medium: Investigations Using In Situ Nanocolloidal Probe Microscopy and Reactive Molecular Dynamics Simulations.

As a versatile nanomaterial derived from renewable sources, nanocellulose has attracted considerable attention for its potential applications in various sectors, especially those focused on water treatment and remediation. Here, we have combined atomic force microscopy (AFM) and reactive molecular dynamics (RMD) simulations to characterize the interactions between cellulose nanofibers modified with carboxylate or phosphate groups and the protein foulant model bovine serum albumin (BSA) at pH 3.92, which is close to the isoelectric point of BSA.

Direct Determination of Carrier Parameters in Indium Tin Oxide Nanocrystals.

We develop here a comprehensive experimental approach to independently determine charge carrier parameters, namely, carrier density and mass, in plasmonic indium tin oxide nanocrystals. Typically, in plasmonic nanocrystals, only the ratio between these two parameters is accessible through optical absorption experiments. The multitechnique methodology proposed here combines single particle and ensemble optical and magneto-optical spectroscopies, also using Sn solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy to probe the surface depletion layer.

Pd-Catalyzed Miyaura Borylation and Telescopic Borylation/Suzuki-Miyaura Cross-Coupling Processes in Deep-Eutectic Solvents.

We report an efficient procedure to carry out palladium-catalyzed Miyaura borylation reactions of (hetero)aromatic halides and triflates in choline chloride (ChCl)-based deep eutectic solvents (DESs). The procedure employs bis(pinacolato)diboron as a boron source and a catalyst prepared in situ from readily available Pd(dba) and the phosphine ligand XPhos. Reactions proceed well in different ChCl-based DESs, among which the best results were provided by environmentally friendly and biodegradable mixtures with glycerol and glucose.

Rutin-loaded zein gel as a green biocompatible formulation for wound healing application.

Wound healing is a challenging clinical problem and efficient wound management is essential to prevent infection. This is best done by utilizing biocompatible materials in order to complete the healing in a rapid manner, with functional and esthetic outcomes. In this context, the zein protein fulfills the criteria of the ideal wound dressing which include non-toxicity and non-inflammatory stimulation.

Mechanical Transfer of Black Phosphorus on a Silk Fibroin Substrate: A Viable Method for Photoresponsive and Printable Biomaterials.

Despite the technological importance of semiconductor black phosphorus (BP) in materials science, maintaining the stability of BP crystals in organic media and protecting them from environmental oxidation remains challenging. In this study, we present the synthesis of bulk BP and the exploitation of the viscoelastic properties of a regenerated silk fibroin (SF) film as a biocompatible substrate to transfer BP flakes, thereby preventing oxidation. A model based on the flow of polymers revealed that the applied flow-induced stresses exceed the yield stress of the BP aggregate.