Versatile Magnetic Mesoporous Carbon Derived Nano-Adsorbent for Synchronized Toxic Metal Removal and Bacterial Disinfection from Water Matrices.

Contamination of water resources by toxic metals and opportunistic pathogens remains a serious challenge. The development of nano-adsorbents with desired features to tackle this problem is a continuously evolving field. Here, magnetic mesoporous carbon nanospheres grafted by antimicrobial polyhexamethylene biguanidine (PHMB) are reported.

The Synthesis, Characterization and Anti-Tumor Activity of a Cu-MOF Based on Flavone-6,2'-dicarboxylic Acid.

A novel two-dimensional copper(II) framework (LDU-1), formulated as {[Cu(L)·2NMP}n (HL = flavone-6,2'-dicarboxylic acid, NMP = N-Methyl pyrrolidone), has been constructed under solvothermal conditions and characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy (IR), thermogravimetric analysis and powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD). In the crystal structure, the Cu(II) shows hex-coordinated with the classical Cu paddle-wheel coordination geometry, and the flavonoid ligand coordinates with the Cu(II) ion in a bidentate bridging mode. Of particular interest of LDU-1 is the presence of anti-tumor activity against three human cancer cell lines including lung adenocarcinoma(A549), Michigan cancer foundation-7 (MCF-7), erythroleukemia (K562) and murine melanoma B16F10, indicating synergistic enhancement effects between metal ions and organic linkers.

Bandwidth Optimization of MEMS Accelerometers in Fluid Medium Environment.

There is a constraint between the dynamic range and the bandwidth of MEMS accelerometers. When the input acceleration is comparatively large, the squeeze film damping will increase dramatically with the increase in the oscillation amplitude, resulting in a decrease in bandwidth. Conventional models still lack a complete vibration response analysis in large amplitude ratios and cannot offer a suitable guide in the optimization of such devices.

The Soft-Strain Effect Enabled High-Performance Flexible Pressure Sensor and Its Application in Monitoring Pulse Waves.

Flexible and wearable pressure sensors attached to human skin are effective and convenient in accurate and real-time tracking of various physiological signals for disease diagnosis and health assessment. Conventional flexible pressure sensors are constructed using compressible dielectric or conductive layers, which are electrically sensitive to external mechanical stimulation. However, saturated deformation under large compression significantly restrains the detection range and sensitivity of such sensors.

Color-Tunable and Stable Copper Iodide Cluster Scintillators for Efficient X-Ray Imaging.

The search for color-tunable, efficient, and robust scintillators plays a vital role in the development of modern X-ray radiography. The radioluminescence tuning of copper iodide cluster scintillators in the entire visible region by bandgap engineering is herein reported. The bandgap engineering benefits from the fact that the conduction band minimum and valence band maximum of copper iodide cluster crystals are contributed by atomic orbitals from the inorganic core and organic ligand components, respectively.

Stable Zn Anodes with Triple Gradients.

Aqueous zinc-ion batteries are highly desirable for sustainable energy storage, but the undesired Zn dendrites growth severely shortens the cycle life. Herein, a triple-gradient electrode that simultaneously integrates gradient conductivity, zincophilicity, and porosity is facilely constructed for a dendrite-free Zn anode. The simple mechanical rolling-induced triple-gradient design effectively optimizes the electric field distribution, Zn ion flux, and Zn deposition paths in the Zn anode, thus synergistically achieving a bottom-up deposition behavior for Zn metals and preventing the short circuit from top dendrite growth.

Large-Scale Ultra-Robust MoS Patterns Directly Synthesized on Polymer Substrate for Flexible Sensing Electronics.

Synthesis of large-area patterned MoS is considered the principle base for realizing high-performance MoS -based flexible electronic devices. Patterning and transferring MoS films to target flexible substrates, however, require conventional multi-step photolithography patterning and transferring process, despite tremendous progress in the facilitation of practical applications. Herein, an approach to directly synthesize large-scale MoS patterns that combines inkjet printing and thermal annealing is reported.

Porphyrin Centered Paclitaxel Tetrameric Prodrug Nanoassemblies as Tumor-Selective Theranostics for Synergized Breast Cancer Therapy.

Although having undergone decades of development, nanoparticulate drug delivery vehicles for efficient cancer therapy remain a challenge, confined by low drug loading, instability, and poor cancer tissue selectivity. A self-assembled prodrug, the combination of prodrug strategy and the self-assembly merits, represents a special chemical entity which spontaneously organizes into supramolecular composites with defined architecture, therefore also providing a strategy to develop new medications. Paclitaxel (PTX) is still among the most generally prescribed chemotherapeutics in oncology but is restricted by poor solubility.

NIR TADF emitters and OLEDs: challenges, progress, and perspectives.

Near-infrared (NIR) light-emitting materials show excellent potential applications in the fields of military technology, bioimaging, optical communication, organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), Recently, thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) emitters have made historic developments in the field of OLEDs. These metal-free materials are more attractive because of efficient reverse intersystem crossing processes which result in promising high efficiencies in OLEDs. However, the development of NIR TADF emitters has progressed at a relatively slower pace which could be ascribed to the difficult promotion of external quantum efficiencies.

Self-Healing Materials-Based Electronic Skin: Mechanism, Development and Applications.

Electronic skin (e-skin) has brought us great convenience and revolutionized our way of life. However, due to physical or chemical aging and damage, they will inevitably be degraded gradually with practical operation. The emergence of self-healing materials enables e-skins to achieve repairment of cracks and restoration of mechanical function by themselves, meeting the requirements of the era for building durable and self-healing electronic devices.

A BiTe-Filled Nickel Foam Film with Exceptional Flexibility and Thermoelectric Performance.

The past decades have witnessed surging demand for wearable electronics, for which thermoelectrics (TEs) are considered a promising self-charging technology, as they are capable of converting skin heat into electricity directly. BiTe is the most-used TE material at room temperature, due to a high zT of ~1. However, it is different to integrate BiTe for wearable TEs owing to its intrinsic rigidity.

Hyperspectral Imaging: A Review and Trends towards Medical Imaging.

Hyperspectral Imaging (HSI) is a pertinent technique to provide meaningful information about unique objects in the medical field. This paper discusses the basic principles, imaging methods, comparisons, and advances in the medical applications of HSI to accentuate the importance of HSI in the medical field. To date, there are numerous tools and methods to fix the problems, but reliable medical HSI tools and methods need to be studied.

Representative 2D-material-based nanocomposites and their emerging applications: a review.

Composites (or complex materials) are formed from two or many constituent materials with novel physical or chemical characteristics when integrated. The individual components can be combined to create a unique composite material through mechanical transfer, physical stacking, exfoliation, derivative chemical mixtures, mixtures of solid solutions, or complex synthesis processes. The development of new composites based on emerging 2D nanomaterials has allowed for outstanding achievements with novel applications that were previously unknown.

The Factors Dictating Properties of Atomically Precise Metal Nanocluster Electrocatalysts.

Metal nanoparticles occupy an important position in electrocatalysis. Unfortunately, by using conventional synthetic methodology, it is a great challenge to realize the monodisperse composition/structure of metal nanoparticles at the atomic level, and to establish correlations between the catalytic properties and the structure of individual catalyst particles. For the study of well-defined nanocatalysts, great advances have been made for the successful synthesis of nanoparticles with atomic precision, notably ligand-passivated metal nanoclusters.

High-Efficiency and Stable Zn-Na V (PO ) Aqueous Battery Enabled by Electrolyte-Induced Interphasial Engineering.

Aqueous zinc batteries have been regarded as a promising energy storage technology due to their high energy, high material abundance, low toxicity, and intrinsic safety. NASICON-type materials have been proposed as efficient cathodes for rechargeable batteries, yet they suffer from fast degradation and low Coulombic efficiency in aqueous batteries. Here we demonstrate that a rationally designed aqueous electrolyte containing a supporting Na salt and polymer additive can efficiently suppress the water activity through hydrogen bonding and facilitate the anion involvement in interfacial reactions, thus enabling the stable operation of sodium superionic conductor (NASICON) cathodes in aqueous zinc batteries.

Design of a Capacitive MEMS Accelerometer with Softened Beams.

Lower stiffness can improve the performance of capacitive-based microelectromechanical systems sensors. In this paper, softened beams, achieved by the electrostatic assembly approach, are proposed to lower the stiffness of a capacitive MEMS accelerometer. The experiments show that the stiffness of the accelerometer is reduced by 43% with softened beams and the sensitivity is increased by 72.

Reconfigurable Angular Resolution Design Method in a Separate-Axis Lissajous Scanning MEMS LiDAR System.

MEMS-based LiDAR with a low cost and small volume is a promising solution for 3D measurement. In this paper, a reconfigurable angular resolution design method is proposed in a separate-axis Lissajous scanning MEMS LiDAR system. This design method reveals the influence factors on the angular resolution, including the characteristics of the MEMS mirrors, the laser duty cycle and pulse width, the processing time of the echo signal, the control precision of the MEMS mirror, and the laser divergence angle.

High-κ Polyimide-Based Dielectrics by Introducing a Functionalized Metal-Organic Framework.

In this work, novel metal-organic framework/polyimide (MOF/PI) composite films possessing dielectric properties were synthesized via a solution blending method. UiO-66 and UiO-66-NH nanoparticles were first prepared by a hydrothermal method and added into PI to obtain the composite films. Compared with pure PI, the dielectric properties of the MOF/PI composites were substantially enhanced.

Extending the Validity of Squeeze Film Damping Models with Lower Aspect Ratios.

Squeeze film air damping is a significant factor in the design of MEMS devices owing to its great impact on the dynamic performance of vibrating structures. However, the traditional theoretical results of squeeze film air damping are derived from the Reynolds equation, wherein there exists a deviation from the true results, especially in low aspect ratios. While expensive efforts have been undertaken to prove that this deviation is caused by the neglect of pressure change across the film, a quantitative study has remained elusive.

A Temperature Control Method for Microaccelerometer Chips Based on Genetic Algorithm and Fuzzy PID Control.

External temperature changes can detrimentally affect the properties of a microaccelerometer, especially for high-precision accelerometers. Temperature control is the fundamental method to reduce the thermal effect on microaccelerometer chips, although high-performance control has remained elusive using the conventional proportional-integral-derivative (PID) control method. This paper proposes a modified approach based on a genetic algorithm and fuzzy PID, which yields a profound improvement compared with the typical PID method.

Lysozymes in Fish.

In recent years, the deterioration of the aquaculture ecological environment has led to a high incidence of fish diseases. Lysozymes, important antimicrobial enzymes, play an important role in the innate immune system of fish. The studies of fish lysozymes benefit the control of fish infections caused by pathogens.

The Ripple Effect of Graphite Nanofilm on Stretchable Polydimethylsiloxane for Optical Sensing.

Graphene-based optical sensing devices have been widely studied for their broad band absorption, high carrier mobility, and mechanical flexibility. Due to graphene's weak light absorption, studies on graphene-based optical sensing thus far have focused on hybrid heterostructure devices to enhance photo-absorption. Such hybrid devices need a complicated integration process and lead to deteriorating carrier mobility as a result of heterogeneous interfaces.

Fast Synchronization Method of Comb-Actuated MEMS Mirror Pair for LiDAR Application.

MEMS-based LiDAR (micro-electro-mechanical system based light detection and ranging), with a low cost and small volume, becomes a promising solution for the two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) optical imaging. A semi-coaxial MEMS LiDAR design, based on a synchronous MEMS mirror pair, was proposed in our early study. In this paper, we specifically reveal the synchronization method of the comb-actuated MEMS mirror pair, including the frequency, amplitude, and phase synchronization.

Two-photon fluorogenic probe for visualizing PGP-1 activity in inflammatory tissues and serum from patients.

A PGP-1-specific one/two-photon fluorogenic probe (BH1), capable of high sensitivity, super selectivity, and visual imaging of endogenous PGP-1 activity from live mammalian cells and serum/skin tissues from patients by using one/two-photon fluorescence microscopy (O/TPFM).

DMD-based hyperspectral microscopy with flexible multiline parallel scanning.

As one of the most common hyperspectral microscopy (HSM) techniques, line-scanning HSM is currently utilized in many fields. However, its scanning efficiency is still considered to be inadequate since many biological and chemical processes occur too rapidly to be captured. Accordingly, in this work, a digital micromirror device (DMD) based on microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) is utilized to demonstrate a flexible multiline scanning HSM system.