Lateral charge migration in 1D semiconductor-metal hybrid photocatalytic systems.

Colloidal nanorods based on CdS or CdSe, functionalized with metal particles, have proven to be efficient catalysts for light-driven hydrogen evolution. Seeded CdSe@CdS nanorods have shown increasing performance with increasing rod length. This observation was rationalized by the increasing lifetime of the separated charges, as a large distance between holes localized in the CdSe seed and electrons localized at the metal tip decreases their recombination rate.

Non-contact immunological signaling for highly-efficient regulation of the transcriptional map of human monocytes.

The different immune system cells communicate and coordinate a response using a complex and evolved language of cytokines and chemokines. These cellular interactions carry out multiple functions in distinct cell types with numerous developmental outcomes. Despite the plethora of different cytokines and their cognate receptors, there is a restricted number of signal transducers and activators to control immune responses.

Colloidal Control of Branching in Metal Chalcogenide Semiconductor Nanostructures.

Colloidal syntheses of metal chalcogenides yield nanostructures of various 1D, 2D, and 3D nanocrystals (NCs), including branched nanostructures (BNSs) of nanoflowers, tetrapods, octopods, nanourchins, and more. Efforts are continuously being made to understand the branching mechanism in colloidally prepared metal chalcogenides for tailor-making them into various morphologies for dedicated applications in solar cells, light-emitting diodes, stress sensor devices, and near-infrared photodetectors. The vital role of precursors and ligands has widely been recognized in directing nanocrystal morphology during the colloidal synthesis of metal chalcogenide nanostructures.

The effect of preparation temperature and composition on bigel performance as fat replacers.

Consumer awareness of the deleterious effect of a diet rich in saturated fat pushes the food industry to find new fat alternatives. Bigels, hybrids of hydrogels and oleogels, are an attractive option for formulating oil-based fat mimetics, particularly lamination fats. This research explored the characteristics of a hydrogel-in-oleogel bigel, made of candelilla wax and xanthan gum.

Biomanufacturing Recombinantly Expressed Cripto-1 Protein in Anchorage-Dependent Mammalian Cells Growing in Suspension Bioreactors within a Three-Dimensional Hydrogel Microcarrier.

Biotherapeutic soluble proteins that are recombinantly expressed in mammalian cells can pose a challenge when biomanufacturing in three-dimensional (3D) suspension culture systems. Herein, we tested a 3D hydrogel microcarrier for a suspension culture of HEK293 cells overexpressing recombinant Cripto-1 protein. Cripto-1 is an extracellular protein that is involved in developmental processes and has recently been reported to have therapeutic effects in alleviating muscle injury and diseases by regulating muscle regeneration through satellite cell progression toward the myogenic lineage.

Wearable Clinic: From Microneedle-Based Sensors to Next-Generation Healthcare Platforms.

The rapid development of wearable biosensing calls for next-generation devices that allow continuous, real-time, and painless monitoring of health status along with responsive medical treatment. Microneedles have exhibited great potential for the direct access of dermal interstitial fluid (ISF) in a minimally invasive manner. Recent studies of microneedle-based devices have evolved from conventional off-line detection to multiplexed, wireless, and integrated sensing.

Liquid Biopsy-Based Volatile Organic Compounds from Blood and Urine and Their Combined Data Sets for Highly Accurate Detection of Cancer.

Liquid biopsy is seen as a prospective tool for cancer screening and tracking. However, the difficulty lies in effectively sieving, isolating, and overseeing cancer biomarkers from the backdrop of multiple disrupting cells and substances. The current study reports on the ability to perform liquid biopsy without the need to physically filter and/or isolate the cancer cells per se.

Complexes of Charged-Neutral Block Copolymers and Surfactants: Process-Dependent Features and Long-Term Stability of Their Aqueous Dispersions.

Aqueous dispersions of charged-neutral block copolymers (poly(acrylamide)--poly(acrylate)) complexed with an oppositely charged surfactant (dodecyltrimethylammonium) have been prepared by different approaches: the simple mixing of two solutions (MS approach) containing the block copolymer and surfactant, with their respective simple counterions, and dispersion of a freeze-dried complex salt prepared in the absence of simple counterions (CS approach). The CS particles were investigated under different conditions: dispersion of a CS in salt-free water and dispersion of a CS in a dilute salt solution, the latter condition yielding dispersions with the same composition as the MS process. Additionally, aged dispersions (up to 6 months) and dispersed complexes of the polyacrylate homopolymer and dodecyltrimethylammonium surfactant were evaluated.

Noninvasive Detection of Stress by Biochemical Profiles from the Skin.

Stress is a leading cause of several disease types, yet it is underdiagnosed as current diagnostic methods are mainly based on self-reporting and interviews that are highly subjective, inaccurate, and unsuitable for monitoring. Although some physiological measurements exist (., heart rate variability and cortisol), there are no reliable biological tests that quantify the amount of stress and monitor it in real time.

Ultrafast Coherent Delocalization Revealed in Multilayer QDs under a Chiral Potential.

In recent years, it was found that current passing through chiral molecules exhibits spin preference, an effect known as Chiral Induced Spin Selectivity (CISS). The effect also enables the reduction of scattering and therefore enhances delocalization. As a result, the delocalization of an exciton generated in the dots is not symmetric and relates to the electronic and hole excited spins.

Spin-Controlled Helical Quantum Sieve Chiral Spectrometer.

This article reports on a molecular-spin-sensitive-antenna (MSSA) that is based on stacked layers of organically functionalized graphene on a fibrous helical cellulose network for carrying out spatiotemporal identification of chiral enantiomers. The MSSA structures combine three complementary features: (i) chiral separation via a helical quantum sieve for chiral trapping, (ii) chiral recognition by a synthetically implanted spin-sensitive center in a graphitic lattice; and (iii) chiral selectivity by a chirality-induced-spin mechanism that polarizes the local electronic band-structure in graphene through chiral-activated Rashba spin-orbit interaction field. Combining the MSSA structures with decision-making principles based on neuromorphic artificial intelligence shows fast, portable, and wearable spectrometry for the detection and classification of pure and a mixture of chiral molecules, such as butanol (S and R), limonene (S and R), and xylene isomers, with 95-98% accuracy.

The effect of specimen preparation on the nanostructure of SLES aqueous solutions observed by cryo-TEM.

Sodium lauryl ether sulphate (SLES) is a detergent widely used in cosmetics and personal-care industries; hence, it is of particular interest to study the self-assembled nanostructure it forms at different conditions. Cryogenic transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM) is the most suitable technique for the direct-imaging of such systems. However, since SLES is sensitive to flow and shear, specimen preparation artefacts may misrepresent the native state of the solution.

Self-Aggregation in Aqueous Media of Amphiphilic Diblock and Random Block Copolymers Composed of Monomers with Long Side Chains.

Amphiphilic diblock copolymers and hydrophobically modified random block copolymers can self-assemble into different structures in a selective solvent. The formed structures depend on the copolymer properties, such as the ratio between the hydrophilic and the hydrophobic segments and their nature. In this work, we characterize by cryogenic transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS) the amphiphilic copolymers poly(2-dimethylamino ethyl methacrylate)--poly(lauryl methacrylate) (PDMAEMA--PLMA) and their quaternized derivatives QPDMAEMA--PLMA at different ratios between the hydrophilic and the hydrophobic segments.

Charge regulation indicates water expulsion from silica surface by cesium cations.

Hypothesis: Since the discovery of the Hofmeister effect in 1888, the varied propensity of ions to proteins, DNA and other surfaces has motivated research aimed at deciphering the underlying ion specific adsorption mechanism. Experimental and numerical studies have shown that in agreement with Collins' heuristic law of matching water affinity, weakly hydrated (chaotropic) ions adsorb preferentially to hydrophobic surfaces. Here, we show that this preference is driven by expulsion of bound water molecules from the surface by the adsorbing ions.

Unraveling multilayered extracellular vesicles: Speculation on cause.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are cell-released, heterogenous nanoparticles that play important roles in (patho)physiological processes through intercellular communication. EVs are often depicted as having a single lipid bilayer, but many studies have demonstrated the existence of multilayered EVs. There has been minimal inquiry into differences between unilamellar and multilamellar EVs in terms of biogenesis mechanisms and functional effects.

Toward a new generation of permeable skin electronics.

Skin-mountable electronics are considered to be the future of the next generation of portable electronics, due to their softness and seamless integration with human skin. However, impermeable materials limit device comfort and reliability for long-term, continuous usage. The recent emergence of permeable skin-mountable electronics has attracted tremendous attention in the soft electronics field.

On the relation between electrical and electro-optical properties of tunnelling injection quantum dot lasers.

We present a comprehensive study of the temperature dependent electronic and optoelectronic properties of a tunnelling injection quantum dot laser. The optical power-voltage ( -) characteristics are shown to be correlated with the current-voltage (-) and capacitance-voltage (-) dependencies at low and elevated temperatures. Cryogenic temperature measurements reveal a clear signature of resonant tunnelling manifested in periodic responses of the - and - characteristics, which diminish above 60 K.

Toward Large-Scale Energy Harvesting by a UV-Curable Organic-Coating-Based Triboelectric Nanogenerator.

Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) stand out as an attractive form of technology for the efficient harvest of mechanical energy and the powering of wearable devices due to their light weight, simplicity, high power density, and efficient vibration energy scavenging capabilities. However, the requirement for micro/nanostructures and/or complex and expensive instruments hinders their cheap mass production, thus limiting their practical applications. By using a simple, cost-effective, fast spray-coating process, we develop high-performance UV-curable triboelectric coatings for large-scale energy harvesting.

Room Temperature Humidity Tolerant Xylene Sensor Using a Sn-SnO Nanocomposite.

Xylene is one of the representative indoor pollutants, even in ppb levels, that affect human health directly. Due to the non-polar and less reactive nature of xylene, its room temperature detection is challenging. This work demonstrates a metallic tin-doped Sn-SnO nanocomposite under controlled pH conditions via a simple solvothermal route.

From enhanced diffusion to ultrafast ballistic motion of hybrid light-matter excitations.

Transport of excitons and charge carriers in molecular systems can be enhanced by coherent coupling to photons, giving rise to the formation of hybrid excitations known as polaritons. Such enhancement has far-reaching technological implications; however, the enhancement mechanism and the transport nature of these hybrid excitations remain elusive. Here we map the ultrafast spatiotemporal dynamics of polaritons formed by mixing surface-bound optical waves with Frenkel excitons in a self-assembled molecular layer, resolving polariton dynamics in energy/momentum space.

From Conventional to Microfluidic: Progress in Extracellular Vesicle Separation and Individual Characterization.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are nanoscale membrane vesicles, which contain a wide variety of cargo such as proteins, miRNAs, and lipids. A growing body of evidence suggests that EVs are promising biomarkers for disease diagnosis and therapeutic strategies. Although the excellent clinical value, their use in personalized healthcare practice is not yet feasible due to their highly heterogeneous nature.

Gate-Controlled Chiral Recognition and Spin Assessment with All-Electric Hybrid Quantum Wire-Based Transistors.

The search for inexpensive and all-electric tunable methods for portable and fast recognition and discrimination between various chiral enantiomers, mainly those found in the gas phase, has been one of the most challenging tasks in the field of analytical chemistry. The current article reports on a chiral sensitive electric architecture (CSEA) of a helical polyaniline (PANI)@carbon nanotube (CNT) hybrid quantum-wire based field effect transistor (FET) platform. The CSEA architecture exhibits gate-controlled-channel-chirality modulation for the selective distinction of Limonene (S(+)/R(-)) at ≈12 V intervals.

Sucrose-based cryoprotective storage of extracellular vesicles.

Advancements in extracellular vesicle (EV) studies necessitate the development of optimized storage conditions to ensure preservation of physical and biochemical characteristics. In this study, the most common buffer for EV storage (phosphate-buffered saline/PBS) was compared to a cryoprotective 5% sucrose solution. The size distribution and concentration of EVs from two different sources changed to a greater extent after -80 °C storage in PBS compared to the sucrose solution.

An Oxygen-Insensitive biosensor and a biofuel cell device based on FMN l-lactate dehydrogenase.

Lactate sensing has high importance for metabolic disease diagnostics, food spoilage, sports medicine, or the construction of biofuel cell devices. Therefore, continuous lactate sensing devices which enable accurate detection should be developed. Here we present the overexpression and utilization of FMN-lactate dehydrogenase from Saccharomyces cerevisiae for oxygen-insensitive, continuous amperometric lactate biosensing.

Formation of synthetic RNA protein granules using engineered phage-coat-protein -RNA complexes.

Liquid-solid transition, also known as gelation, is a specific form of phase separation in which molecules cross-link to form a highly interconnected compartment with solid - like dynamical properties. Here, we utilize RNA hairpin coat-protein binding sites to form synthetic RNA based gel-like granules via liquid-solid phase transition. We show both in-vitro and in-vivo that hairpin containing synthetic long non-coding RNA (slncRNA) molecules granulate into bright localized puncta.