Super-Resolved Mapping of Electrochemical Reactivity in Single 3D Catalysts.

Crystals with three-dimensional (3D) stereoscopic structures, characterized by diverse shapes, crystallographic planes, and morphologies, represent a significant advancement in catalysis. Differentiating and quantifying the catalytic activity of specific surface facets and sites at the single-particle level is essential for understanding and predicting catalytic performance. This study employs super-resolution radial fluctuations electrogenerated chemiluminescence microscopy (SRRF-ECLM) to achieve high-resolution mapping of electrocatalytic activity on individual 3D CuO crystals, including cubic, octahedral, and truncated octahedral structures.

Combined Effect of Nanoparticles of Silver and Silica to HeLa Cells: Synergistic Internalization and Toxicity.

The wide range of applications and the enormous production of nanomaterials have raised the possibility that humans may simultaneously contact with various nanomaterials through multiple routes. Although numerous toxicity studies have been conducted on the toxicity of nanomaterials, knowledge of the combined toxicity of nanomaterials remains limited. Herein, the combined toxic effects of the two types of the most widely used nanomaterials, silver and silica, were studied on HeLa cells.

Conformational Engineering of Flexible Protein Fragments on the Surface of Different Nanoparticles: The Surface-Atom Mobility Rules.

As a newly emerging technology, conformational engineering (CE) has been gradually displaying the power of producing protein-like nanoparticles (NPs) by tuning flexible protein fragments into their original native conformation on NPs. But apparently, not all types of NPs can serve as scaffolds for CE. To expedite the CE technology on a broader variety of NPs, the essential characteristic of NPs as scaffolds for CE needs to be identified.

Durable Antibacterial Photothermal Membrane Using Melanin-Inspired Cu-Doped Polynorepinephrine for Water Remediation.

Solar-driven interfacial evaporation is an efficient approach to addressing water scarcity due to its environmental sustainability. However, the prolonged use of solar evaporators causes microbial contamination from wastewater. Inspired by the antifouling properties of polydopamine, we develop a series of mono- and dual-metal-loaded poly(norepinephrine) (PNE) nanoparticles by pre-doping multiple metal ions.

Alleviating hypoxia by integrating MnO with metal-organic frameworks coated upconversion nanocomposites for enhanced photodynamic therapy .

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) requires the participation of abundant oxygen while the hypoxic tumor microenvironment limits the efficacy of PDT. Here, upconversion luminescent nanocomposites coated with metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) were synthesized and modified with MnO (named UMMnP) to alleviate hypoxia of the tumor microenvironment. Under 980 nm light irradiation, the upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) achieve upconversion emission to excite porphyrin MOFs, which then transfer energy to oxygen to produce singlet oxygen for PDT.

Enabling the Transport Dynamics and Interfacial Stability of Porous Si Anode Via Rigid and Flexible Carbon Encapsulation for High-Energy Lithium Storage.

The stable electrode/electrolyte interface and fast electron/ion transport channel play important roles in boosting the rate performance and cycling life of lithium-ion batteries. Herein, a porous silicon/carbon composite (pSi@PC@MC) is presented by integrating hollow porous silicon (pSi) with pitch-derived carbon (PC) and dopamine-derived mesoporous carbon (MC), employing microporous zeolite as the silicon source. The finite element simulation first reveals the stress release effect of rigid and flexible carbon encapsulation on the hollow Si anode for lithium-ion storage.

Nanostructure impact on electrocatalysis in gold nanodimers electrochemiluminescence microscopy.

This study explores the mechanism of enhanced electrochemiluminescence (ECL) due to the coupling effect in gold nanodimers (Au NDs) with precisely controlled interparticle distances electrochemiluminescence microscopy (ECLM). Our research revealed that the enhancement in ECL was predominantly attributed to increased charge density and elevated electric fields resulting from overlapping electrochemical double layers. These findings offer new insights into the fundamental processes that govern nanostructure-mediated electrocatalysis, opening up exciting possibilities for future applications.

Toxicity and decomposition activity inhibition of VO micro/nanoparticles to white rot fungus Phanerochaete chrysosporium.

Vanadium dioxide (VO) is an excellent phase transition material widely used in various applications, and thus inevitably enters the environment via different routes and encounters various organisms. Nonetheless, limited information is available on the environmental hazards of VO. In this study, we investigated the impact of two commercial VO particles, nanosized S-VO and micro-sized M-VO on the white rot fungus Phanerochaete chrysosporium.

Unraveling the impact of different liposomal formulations on the plasma protein corona composition might give hints on the targeting capability of nanoparticles.

Nanoparticles (NPs) interact with biological fluids after being injected into the bloodstream. The interactions between NPs and plasma proteins at the nano-bio interface affect their biopharmaceutical properties and distribution in the organ and tissues due to protein corona (PrC) composition, and in turn, modification of the resulting targeting capability. Moreover, lipid and polymer NPs, at their interface, affect the composition of PrC and the relative adsorption and abundance of specific proteins.

Anthracite-Derived Porous Carbon@MoS Heterostructure for Elevated Lithium Storage Regulated by the Middle TiO Layer.

The rational design of MoS/carbon composites have been widely used to improve the lithium storage capability. However, their deep applications remain a big challenge due to the slow electrochemical reaction kinetics of MoS and weak bonding between MoS and carbon substrates. In this work, anthracite-derived porous carbon (APC) is sequential coated by TiO nanoparticles and MoS nanosheets via a chemical activation and two-step hydrothermal method, forming the unique APC@TiO@MoS ternary composite.

Rational construction of CQDs-based targeted multifunctional nanoplatform for synergistic chemo-photothermal tumor therapy.

Photothermal therapy combined with chemotherapy has shown great promise in the treatment of cancer. In this synergistic system, a safe, stable, and efficient photothermal agent is desired. Herein, an effective photothermal agent, carbon quantum dots (CQDs), was initially synthesized and then rationally constructed a folic acid (FA)-targeted photothermal multifunctional nanoplatform by encapsulating CQDs and the anticancer drug doxorubicin (DOX) in the liposomes.

Synthesis of nitrogen-doped amorphous carbon nanotubes from novel cobalt-based MOF precursors for improving potassium-ion storage capability.

Amorphous carbon materials with sophisticated morphologies, variable carbon layer structures, abundant defects, and tunable porosities are favorable as anodes for potassium-ion batteries (PIBs). Synthesizing amorphous carbon materials typically involves the pyrolysis of carbonaceous precursors. Nonetheless, there is still a lack of studies focused on achieving multifaceted structural optimizations of amorphous carbon through precursor formulation.

Improved anti-breast cancer activity by doxorubicin-loaded super stealth liposomes.

PEGylation is currently used for the synthesis of stealth liposomes and to enhance the pharmacokinetic and biopharmaceutical properties of payloads. PEGylated dendron phospholipids can decrease the detachment of polyethylene glycol (PEG) from the liposomal surface owing to an increased hydrophobic anchoring effect on the phospholipid bilayer of liposomes and thus generating super stealth liposomes that are suitable for the systemic delivery of anticancer drugs. Herein, doxorubicin hydrochloride-loaded super stealth liposomes were studied for the treatment of breast cancer lung metastasis in an animal model.

Understanding of Lanthanide-Doped Core-Shell Structure at the Nanoscale Level.

The groundbreaking development of lanthanide-doped core-shell nanostructures have successfully achieved precise optical tuning of rare-earth nanocrystals, leading to significant improvements in energy transfer efficiency and facilitating multifunctional integration. Exploring the atomic-level structural, physical, and optical properties of rare-earth core-shell nanocrystals is essential for advancing our understanding of their fundamental principles and driving the development of emerging applications. However, our knowledge of the atomic-level structural details of rare-earth nanocrystal core-shell structures remains limited.

Porous hybrid encapsulation enables high-rate lithium storage for a micron-sized SiO anode.

Establishing a durable interfacial layer between an electrode and electrolyte to enable micron-sized silicon-based lithium-ion battery (LIB) anodes to achieve superior electrochemical performance is highly desired. Recent studies have shown that heterogeneous encapsulation with enhanced ion/electron transport is an effective strategy. However, the structural design of the existing hetero-coated interface lacks a reasonable ion/electron transport channel, resulting in high interfacial impedance.

Machine learning-guided realization of full-color high-quantum-yield carbon quantum dots.

Carbon quantum dots (CQDs) have versatile applications in luminescence, whereas identifying optimal synthesis conditions has been challenging due to numerous synthesis parameters and multiple desired outcomes, creating an enormous search space. In this study, we present a novel multi-objective optimization strategy utilizing a machine learning (ML) algorithm to intelligently guide the hydrothermal synthesis of CQDs. Our closed-loop approach learns from limited and sparse data, greatly reducing the research cycle and surpassing traditional trial-and-error methods.

Amine-Functionalized Metal-Free Nanocarbon to Boost Selective CO Electroreduction to CO in a Flow Cell.

Highly efficient electrochemical CO-to-CO conversion is a promising approach for achieving carbon neutrality. While nonmetallic carbon electrocatalysts have shown potential for CO-to-CO utilization in H-type cells, achieving efficient conversion in flow cells at an industrial scale remains challenging. In this study, we present a cost-effective synthesis strategy for preparing ultrathin 2D carbon nanosheet catalysts through simple amine functionalization.

Luminescence enhancement through co-sensitization in lanthanide composites for efficient photocatalysis.

Lanthanide-doped nanocrystals that convert near-infrared (NIR) irradiation into shorter wavelength emission (ultraviolet-C) offer many exciting opportunities for biomedicine, bioimaging, and environmental catalysis. However, developing lanthanide-doped nanocrystals with high UVC brightness for efficient photocatalysis is a formidable challenge due to the complexity of the multiphoton process. Here, we report a series of heterogeneous core-multishell structures based on a co-sensitization strategy with multi-band enhanced emission profiles under 980 nm excitation.

Metal-Loaded Synthetic Melanin via Oxidative Polymerization of Neurotransmitter Norepinephrine Exhibiting High Photothermal Conversion.

Polydopamine (PDA)-derived melanin-like materials exhibit significant photothermal conversion owing to their broad-spectrum light absorption. However, their low near-infrared (NIR) absorption and inadequate hydrophilicity compromise their utilization of solar energy. Herein, we developed metal-loaded poly(norepinephrine) nanoparticles (PNE NPs) by predoping metal ions (Fe, Mn, Co, Ca, Ga, and Mg) with norepinephrine, a neuron-derived biomimetic molecule, to address the limitations of PDA.

Engineering Built-In Electric Field Microenvironment of CQDs/g-CN Heterojunction for Efficient Photocatalytic CO Reduction.

Graphitic carbon nitride (CN), as a nonmetallic photocatalyst, has gained considerable attention for its cost-effectiveness and environmentally friendly nature in catalyzing solar-driven CO conversion into valuable products. However, the photocatalytic efficiency of CO reduction with CN remains low, accompanied by challenges in achieving desirable product selectivity. To address these limitations, a two-step hydrothermal-calcination tandem synthesis strategy is presented, introducing carbon quantum dots (CQDs) into CN and forming ultra-thin CQD/CN nanosheets.