Entropically driven melting of Cu-based 1D coordination polymers.

We investigated the melting behavior of four CPs with one-dimensional structures from a thermodynamic point-of-view. The difference in melting points depending on the crystal structures is observed. The interactions within the crystals were analyzed using DFT calculations.

Alloying One-Dimensional Coordination Polymers To Create Ductile Materials.

The preparation of coordination polymer (CP) alloys is demonstrated by the use of two meltable, one-dimensional crystal structures via melt-kneading. The polymer structures of the alloys are studied by synchrotron X-ray absorption and scattering, solid-state NMR spectroscopy, DSC, and viscoelastic measurements. Crystalline and amorphous domains and thermal properties (melting and glass transition) in the alloys depend on the ratio of the two constituent CPs.

Full-scale polymer relaxation induced by single-chain confinement enhances mechanical stability of nanocomposites.

Polymer nanocomposites with tuning functions are exciting candidates for various applications, and most current research has focused on static mechanical reinforcement. Actually, under service conditions of complex dynamic interference, stable dynamic mechanical properties with high energy dissipation become more critical. However, nanocomposites often exhibit a trade-off between static and dynamic mechanics, because of their contradictory underlying physics between chain crosslinking and chain relaxation.

Deep Blue Emitter with a Combination of Hybridized Local and Charge Transfer Excited State and Aggregation-Induced Emission Features for Efficient Non-Doped OLED.

Herein, a deep blue emitter (PI-TPB-CN) with a synergistic effect of hybridized local and charge transfer excited state (HLCT) and aggregation-induced emission (AIE) properties is successfully designed and synthesized to improve the performance of deep blue organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). It is constructed using a 1,2,4,5-tetraphenylbenzene (TPB) as an π-conjugated AIE core being asymmetrically functionalized with a phenanthro[9,10-d]imidazole (PI) as a weak donor (D) and a benzonitrile (CN) as an acceptor (A), thereby formulating D-π-A type fluorophore. Its HLCT and AIE properties verified by theoretical calculations, solvatochromic effects, and transient photoluminescence decay experiments, bring about a strong blue emission (452 nm) with a high photoluminescence quantum yield of 74 % in the thin film.

Transcriptomic analysis of primary nasal epithelial cells reveals altered interferon signalling in preterm birth survivors at one year of age.

Many survivors of preterm birth (<37 weeks gestation) have lifelong respiratory deficits, the drivers of which remain unknown. Influencers of pathophysiological outcomes are often detectable at the gene level and pinpointing these differences can help guide targeted research and interventions. This study provides the first transcriptomic analysis of primary nasal airway epithelial cells in survivors of preterm birth at approximately 1 year of age.

Measurement of Nanoparticle-Blood Protein Adsorption and Its Heterogeneity with Single-Nanoparticle Resolution via Dual Fluorescence Quantification.

The formation of a protein corona gives nanomedicines a distinct biological identity, profoundly influencing their fate in the body. Nonspecific nanoparticle-protein interactions are typically highly heterogeneous, which can lead to unique biological behaviors and fates for individual nanoparticles that remain underexplored. To address this, we have established an approach that allows quantitative examination of nanoparticle-protein adsorption at the individual nanoparticle level.

Synthesis and Characterization of Furan-Based Methacrylate Oligomers Containing the Imine Functional Group for Stereolithography.

Herein, a furan-based methacrylate oligomer (FBMO) featuring imine functional groups was synthesized for application in stereolithography. The preparation involved the imination reaction of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF) and amino ethanol. Utilizing 5-HMF as a sustainable building block for furan-based polymers, FBMO was formulated and subsequently integrated into photosensitive resin formulations along with methacrylate-containing diluents, such as PEGDMA and TEGDMA.

Directed Self-Assembly of Polystyrene-Block-Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxane Monolayer by Nano-Trench for Nanopatterning.

This work pioneers to combine fast self-assembly of polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes (POSS) nanocage-based giant surfactants with high etching contrast and directed self-assembly for reliable long-range lateral order to create well-aligned sub-10 nm line nanopatterns via reactive ion etching (RIE). Polystyrene-block-oligo(dimethylsiloxane) substituted POSS (PS-b-oDMSPOSS) with seven oligo(dimethylsiloxane) at the corners of the POSS nanocage and one polystyrene (PS) tail is designed and synthesized as a giant surfactant with self-assembly behaviors like block copolymer (BCP). In contrast to BCP, oDMSPOSS gives a volume-persistent "nanoatom" particle with higher mobility for fast self-assembly and higher segregation strength with PS for smaller feature size.

Glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchor biosynthesis pathway-based biomarker identification with machine learning for prognosis and T cell exhaustion status prediction in breast cancer.

As the primary component of anti-tumor immunity, T cells are prone to exhaustion and dysfunction in the tumor microenvironment (TME). A thorough understanding of T cell exhaustion (TEX) in the TME is crucial for effectively addressing TEX in clinical settings and promoting the efficacy of immune checkpoint blockade therapies. In eukaryotes, numerous cell surface proteins are tethered to the plasma membrane via Glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchors, which play a crucial role in facilitating the proper translocation of membrane proteins.

Structure to Property: Chemical Element Embeddings for Predicting Electronic Properties of Crystals.

We present a new general-purpose machine learning model that is able to predict a variety of crystal properties, including Fermi level energy and band gap, as well as spectral ones such as electronic densities of states. The model is based on atomic representations that enable it to effectively capture complex information about each atom and its surrounding environment in a crystal. The accuracy achieved for band gaps exceeds results previously published.

Protein aggregation in plant mitochondria lacking Lon1 inhibits translation and induces unfolded protein responses.

Loss of Lon1 led to stunted plant growth and accumulation of nuclear-encoded mitochondrial proteins including Lon1 substrates. However, an in-depth label-free proteomics quantification of mitochondrial proteins in lon1 revealed that the majority of mitochondrial-encoded proteins decreased in abundance. Additionally, we found that lon1 mutants contained protein aggregates in the mitochondrial that were enriched in metabolic enzymes, ribosomal subunits and PPR-containing proteins of the translation apparatus.

Prussian Blue Analogue Glasses for Photoinduced CO Conversion.

Crystal-to-glass transformation is a powerful approach to modulating the chemical and physical properties of crystals. Here we demonstrate that the glass transformation of cobalt hexacyanoferrate crystals, one of the Prussian blue analogues, increased the concentration of open metal sites and altered the electronic state while maintaining coordination geometries and short-range ordering in the structure. The compositional and structural changes were characterized by X-ray absorption fine structure, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and X-ray total scattering.

A polarizable valence electron density based force field for high-energy interactions between atoms and molecules.

High-accuracy molecular force field models suited for hot gases and plasmas are not as abundant as those geared toward ambient pressure and temperature conditions. Here, we present an improved version of our previous electron-density based force field model that can now account for polarization effects by adjusting the atomic valence electron contributions to match ab initio calculated Mulliken partial charges. Using a slightly modified version of the Hohenberg-Kohn theorem, we also include an improved theoretical formulation of our model when applied to systems with degenerate ground states.

Self-healing, antibiofouling and anticorrosion properties enabled by designing polymers with dynamic covalent bonds and responsive linkages.

Coating metal structures with a protective material is a popular strategy to prevent their deterioration due to corrosion. However, maintaining the barrier properties of coatings after their mechanical damage is challenging. Herein, we prepared multifunctional coatings with self-healing ability to conserve their anticorrosion performance after damage.

Immobilized chitinase as effective biocatalytic platform for producing bioactive di-N-acetyl chitobiose from recycled chitin food waste.

Described is chitinase immobilization on magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) as biocompatible support for enzymatic production of di-N-acetyl chitobiose from chitin waste. Chitinase immobilization was feasible with an immobilization yield of 88.9 ± 1.

Release and Transport of Nanomaterials from Hydrogels Controlled by Temperature.

Understanding the transport of nanoparticles from and within hydrogels is a key issue for the design of nanocomposite hydrogels for drug delivery systems and tissue engineering. To investigate the translocation of nanocarriers from and within hydrogel networks triggered by changes of temperature, ultrasmall (8 nm) and small (80 nm) silica nanocapsules are embedded in temperature-responsive hydrogels and non-responsive hydrogels. The ultrasmall silica nanocapsules are released from temperature-responsive hydrogels to water or transported to other hydrogels upon direct activation by heating or indirect activation by Joule heating; while, they are not released from non-responsive hydrogel.

Supramolecular Complexation Reinforced Polymer Frustrated Packing: Controllable Dual Porosity for Improved Permselectivity of Coordination Nanocage Mixed Matrix Membranes.

The developments of mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) are severely hindered by the complex inter-phase interaction and the resulting poor utilization of inorganics' microporosity. Herein, a dual porosity framework is constructed in MMMs to enhance the accessibility of inorganics' microporosity to external gas molecules for the effective application of microporosity for gas separation. Nanocomposite organogels are first prepared from the supramolecular complexation of rigid polymers and 2 nm microporous coordination nanocages (CNCs).

Catalytic Strategies for the Cycloaddition of CO to Epoxides in Aqueous Media to Enhance the Activity and Recyclability of Molecular Organocatalysts.

The cycloaddition of CO to epoxides to afford versatile and useful cyclic carbonate compounds is a highly investigated method for the nonreductive upcycling of CO. One of the main focuses of the current research in this area is the discovery of readily available, sustainable, and inexpensive catalysts, and of catalytic methodologies that allow their seamless solvent-free recycling. Water, often regarded as an undesirable pollutant in the cycloaddition process, is progressively emerging as a helpful reaction component.

Functional metal-organic liquids.

For decades, the study of coordination polymers (CPs) and metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) has been limited primarily to their behavior as crystalline solids. In recent years, there has been increasing evidence that they can undergo reversible crystal-to-liquid transitions. However, their "liquid" states have primarily been considered intermediate states, and their diverse properties and applications of the liquid itself have been overlooked.

Gold(I)-Thiolate Coordination Polymers as Multifunctional Materials: The Case of Au(I)--Fluorothiophenolate.

Gold-sulfur interaction has vital importance in nanotechnologies and material chemistry to design functional nanoparticles, self-assembled monolayers, or molecular complexes. In this paper, a mixture of only two basic precursors, such as the chloroauric acid (HAu(III)Cl) and a thiol molecule (-fluorothiophenol (-HSPhF)), are used for the synthesis of gold(I)-thiolate coordination polymers. Under different conditions of synthesis and external stimuli, five different functional materials with different states of [Au(I)(-SPhF)] can be afforded.

Efficient Homojunction Tin Perovskite Solar Cells Enabled by Gradient Germanium Doping.

P-type self-doping is known to hamper tin-based perovskites for developing high-performance solar cells by increasing the background current density and carrier recombination processes. In this work, we propose a gradient homojunction structure with germanium doping that generates an internal electric field across the perovskite film to deplete the charge carriers. This structure reduces the dark current density of perovskite by over 2 orders of magnitude and trap density by an order of magnitude.

Photoresponsive Viscoelasticity of the Granular Materials of Azobenzene-Bearing Molecular Nanoparticles.

The large sizes of granular particles lead to their slow diffusive dynamics and significant interparticle friction, bringing enormous difficulty to tune the mechanical properties and processability of the granular materials (GMs). Herein, 1 nm polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) particles functionalized with azobenzene are designed as structural units, and the obtained GMs show unique photoswitchable viscoelasticity. The azobenzene group can undergo a reversible - conformation switch while the π-π stacking among the azobenzene fragments is only favored by the -conformation due to molecular geometrical requirements.

Detailed discussion on the structure of alloy nanoparticles synthesized magnetron sputter deposition onto liquid poly(ethylene glycol).

This paper is devoted to reviewing a decade of the development of vacuum sputter deposition onto liquid poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) to prepare metal and alloy nanoparticles (NPs) with a controlled particle growth, size, structure, and composition. Especially, we have discussed the fine structures of alloy NPs obtained in PEG and compared them with those sputtered onto other non-volatile liquids. Finally, we have shared our prospect of applications for the resulting alloy NPs.

Hybridization of layered double hydroxides with functional particles.

Layered double hydroxides (LDHs) are a class of materials with useful properties associated with their anion exchange abilities as well as redox and adsorptive properties for a wide range of applications including adsorbents, catalysts and their supports, electrodes, pigments, ceramic precursors, and drug carriers. In order to satisfy the requirements for each application as well as to find alternative applications, the preparation of LDHs with the desired composition and particle morphology and post-synthetic modification by the host-guest interactions have been examined. In addition, the hybridization of LDHs with various functional particles has been reported to design materials of modified, improved, and multiple functions.

Building Fluorescence Lifetime Maps Photon-by-Photon by Leveraging Spatial Correlations.

Fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) has become a standard tool in the quantitative characterization of subcellular environments. However, quantitative FLIM analyses face several challenges. First, spatial correlations between pixels are often ignored as signal from individual pixels is analyzed independently thereby limiting spatial resolution.