Controlling NIR-II emitting gold organic/inorganic nanohybrids with tunable morphology and surface PEG density for dynamic visualization of vascular dysfunction.

Luminescent Au nanoparticles (AuNPs) and their organic/inorganic nanohybrids are of interest due to their favorable properties and promising biomedical applications. However, most existing AuNP-based hybrid nanostructures cannot satisfy high efficiency in synthesis, deep tissue penetration, and long blood circulation simultaneously, thus cannot be employed in dynamic monitoring of biomedical applications. In this paper, using Pluronic F127 as a template, we report a robust approach for one-pot synthesis of AuNP-based organic/inorganic nanohybrids (AuNHs) with bright luminescence in the second near-infrared (NIR-II) window, tunable shape, and controllable surface polyethylene glycol (PEG) density.

A nanoparticle-coated microfluidic chip for automated, non-destructive extraction of encapsulated DNA in data storage.

DNA data storage based on tubes as physical storage carriers has been developed to solve the problem of the exponential growth of information. Compact disk (CD)-microfluidics that employs centrifugal forces for fluidic manipulation offers an attractive alternative that integrates complex assays onto a miniaturized platform to result in automation for DNA data storage. In this work, we develop a CD microfluidic chip modified with nanoparticles for accurate fluid flow control.

Modulating the catalytic activity of gold nanoparticles using amine-terminated ligands.

Nanozymes have broad applications in theranostics and point-of-care tests. To enhance the catalytic activity of nanozymes, the conventional strategy is doping metals to form highly active nanoalloys. However, high-quality and stable nanoalloys are hard to synthesize.

Two dimensional nanosheets as immunoregulator improve HIV vaccine efficacy.

Two-dimensional (2D) nanosheets as carriers have shown promising potential for surface-displaying or loading various drugs. Nevertheless, developing sheet-like materials themselves into an immunoregulator has never been realized so far. In this study, we take advantage of the immunoregulatory effects of rare earth elements themselves and develop water-soluble erbium-dysprosium 2D nanosheets (2D NSs).

Controlling the pyridinium-zwitterionic ligand ratio on atomically precise gold nanoclusters allowing for eradicating Gram-positive drug-resistant bacteria and retaining biocompatibility.

Infections caused by multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria are an increasing global healthcare concern. In this study, we developed a dual-ligand-functionalised Au(SR) (SR) -type gold nanocluster and determined its antibacterial activity against MDR bacterial strains. The pyridinium ligand (SR) provided bactericidal potency and the zwitterionic ligand (SR) enhanced the stability and biocompatibility.

Universal and high-fidelity DNA single nucleotide polymorphism detection based on a CRISPR/Cas12a biochip.

Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are associated with many human diseases, so accurate and efficient SNP detection is of great significance for early diagnosis and clinical prognosis. This report proposes a universal and high-fidelity genotyping method in microfluidic point-of-care equipment based on the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR) system. Briefly, by systematically inserting the protospacer-adjacent-motif (PAM) sequence, we improved the universality of the CRISPR/Cas12a based SNP detection; by removing the complementary ssDNA and introducing an additional nucleotide mismatch, we improved the sensitivity and specificity.

Efficient Killing of Multidrug-Resistant Internalized Bacteria by AIEgens In Vivo.

Bacteria infected cells acting as "Trojan horses" not only protect bacteria from antibiotic therapies and immune clearance, but also increase the dissemination of pathogens from the initial sites of infection. Antibiotics are hard and insufficient to treat such hidden internalized bacteria, especially multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria. Herein, aggregation-induced emission luminogens (AIEgens) such as ,-diphenyl-4-(7-(pyridin-4-yl) benzo [] [1,2,5] thiadiazol-4-yl) aniline functionalized with 1-bromoethane (TBP-1) and (3-bromopropyl) trimethylammonium bromide (TBP-2) (TBPs) show potent broad-spectrum bactericidal activity against both extracellular and internalized Gram-positive pathogens.

Small molecule-decorated gold nanoparticles for preparing antibiofilm fabrics.

The increase in antibiotic resistance reported worldwide poses an immediate threat to human health and highlights the need to find novel approaches to inhibit bacterial growth. In this study, we present a series of gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) capped by different N-heterocyclic molecules (N_Au NPs) which can serve as broad-spectrum antibacterial agents. Neither the Au NPs nor N-heterocyclic molecules were toxic to mammalian cells.

Surface chemistry of gold nanoparticles for health-related applications.

Functionalization of gold nanoparticles is crucial for the effective utilization of these materials in health-related applications. Health-related applications of gold nanoparticles rely on the physical and chemical reactions between molecules and gold nanoparticles. Surface chemistry can precisely control and tailor the surface properties of gold nanoparticles to meet the needs of applications.

Phthalimide-Based High Mobility Polymer Semiconductors for Efficient Nonfullerene Solar Cells with Power Conversion Efficiencies over 13.

Highly efficient nonfullerene polymer solar cells (PSCs) are developed based on two new phthalimide-based polymers phthalimide-difluorobenzothiadiazole (PhI-ffBT) and fluorinated phthalimide-ffBT (ffPhI-ffBT). Compared to all high-performance polymers reported, which are exclusively based on benzo[1,2-:4,5-']dithiophene (BDT), both PhI-ffBT and ffPhI-ffBT are BDT-free and feature a D-A-D-A type backbone. Incorporating a second acceptor unit difluorobenzothiadiazole leads to polymers with low-lying highest occupied molecular orbital levels (≈-5.

Photo-patterned oxygen sensing films based on Pt porphyrin for controlling cell growth and studying metabolism.

A new type of biocompatible and photo-polymerizable hydrogel with oxygen sensors for microengineering was developed. Herein, a red emitter as an oxygen probe which was chemically immobilized in a poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate)--polyacrylamide-based matrix was expected to monitor cell metabolism. A few micropatterned films with gratings (5, 7, 10, 20, and 50 μm in width, respectively and with 1.

Rhodol Derivatives as Selective Fluorescent Probes for the Detection of Hg Ions and the Bioimaging of Hypochlorous Acid.

Two sensors, with a spirolactone group and with a spirolactam group containing a phenyl isothiocyanate moiety, based on rhodol, were designed and synthesized in order to obtain materials with excellent optical properties for the detection of environmentally and biologically important Hg and hypochlorous acid (HClO) ions. The crystal structure of revealed two moieties, a rhodamine-like portion with a spirolactone and a fluorescein-like portion without a spirolactone. In the absence of analyte, produced an optical output with a maximum absorption and emission at 475 and 570 nm, respectively, which was attributed to the fluorescein-like moiety without a spirolactone.

Rhodol Derivatives as Selective Fluorescent Probes for the Detection of Hg Ions and the Bioimaging of Hypochlorous Acid.

Invited for this month's cover picture is the group of Professor Keith Man-Chung Wong from the Southern University of Science and Technology (P.R. China).