Interaction mechanism of AlO abrasive in tantalum chemical mechanical polishing.

AlO abrasive is expected to enhance chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) efficiency compared to the SiO abrasive. However, AlO powder has dispersion issues and the material removal mechanism by AlO remains unclear. This study investigated the role of AlO abrasive in the tantalum CMP.

Engineering a hierarchically micro-/nanostructured Si@Au-based artificial enzyme with improved accessibility of active sites for enhanced catalysis.

The active site accessibility and high loading of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are key factors affecting the catalytic activity of supported AuNP-based catalysts. However, the preparation of supported AuNP-based catalysts with highly accessible active sites still remains a challenge. Herein, sphere-on-sphere (SoS) silica microspheres with a hierarchical structure, good dispersion and high surface density of thiol groups (10 SH nm) are prepared and used as a platform for the growth of high-density AuNPs.

Rheological behaviour, setting time, compressive strength and microstructure of mortar incorporating supplementary cementitious materials and nano-silica.

The setting time of the paste and the rheological properties and microstructure of the mortar after replacing OPC cement with silica fume (SF), fly ash cenosphere (FAC) and nano-silica are studied as a reference for shotcrete applications. The suggested contents of SF, FAC and nano-silica are around 5-7.5%, higher than 20% and 1-3%, respectively, to meet the initial setting time specification.

Bacteria-Based Cancer Immunotherapy.

In the past decade, bacteria-based cancer immunotherapy has attracted much attention in the academic circle due to its unique mechanism and abundant applications in triggering the host anti-tumor immunity. One advantage of bacteria lies in their capability in targeting tumors and preferentially colonizing the core area of the tumor. Because bacteria are abundant in pathogen-associated molecular patterns that can effectively activate the immune cells even in the tumor immunosuppressive microenvironment, they are capable of enhancing the specific immune recognition and elimination of tumor cells.

Microstructure design of polypropylene/expandable graphite flame retardant composites toughened by the polyolefin elastomer for enhancing its mechanical properties.

The enhanced toughness of flame-retardant polymer composites is still a big challenge due to the deterioration of their mechanical properties. In this work, polypropylene (PP)/nanohybrid expandable graphite (nEG) flame-retardant composites toughened by octene-ethylene copolymer (POE) were fabricated for obtaining good mechanical properties and flame retardancy. The structure, rheological and crystallization behaviors, morphology, flame retardancy, and mechanical property of PP/nEG/POE composites with different contents of POE were investigated.

Effect of molecular weight of polyethylene glycol on crystallization behaviors, thermal properties and tensile performance of polylactic acid stereocomplexes.

In this work, the poly(d-lactic acid)-polyethylene glycol-poly(d-lactic acid) (PDLA-PEG-PDLA) triblock copolymer as a novel modification agent was incorporated into poly(l-lactic acid) (PLLA) to improve the thermal and mechanical properties of PLLA. The influences of molecular weight of PEG in the triblock copolymer on the structure, crystallization behaviors, heat resistance and tensile properties of PDLA-PEG-PDLA/PLLA blends were investigated by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), polarized optical microscopy (POM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and tensile testing. The results from FTIR, XRD and DSC confirm the formation of a polylactide stereocomplex in the PLLA blends.

Visualizing intracellular particles and precise control of drug release using an emissive hydrazone photochrome.

The spatiotemporal control over the structure of nanoparticles while monitoring their localization in tumor cells can improve the precision of controlled drug release, thus enhancing the efficiency of drug delivery. Here, we report on a photochromic nanoparticle system (), assembled from fluorescent bistable hydrazone photoswitch-modified amphiphilic copolymers. The intrinsic emission of the hydrazone switch allows for the visualization of particle uptake, as well as their intracellular distribution.

-inspired multifunctional nanoblades with mechanical bactericidal, self-cleaning and insect anti-adhesive characteristics.

In order to reduce the widespread threat of bacterial pathogen diseases, mechanical bactericidal surfaces have been widely reported. However, few of these nanostructured surfaces were investigated from a sustainable perspective. In this study, we have prepared, inspired by the slippery zone of , a multifunctional nanostructured surface with mechanical bactericidal, self-cleaning and insect anti-adhesive characteristics.

A sustainable resistive switching memory device based on organic keratin extracted from hair.

It is the consensus of researchers that the reuse of natural resources is an effective way to solve the problems of environmental pollution, waste and overcapacity. Moreover, compared with the case of inorganic materials, the renewability of natural biomaterials has great prominent advantages. In this study, keratin, which was first extracted from hair due to its high content in hair, was chosen as a functional layer for the fabrication of a resistance switching device with the Ag/keratin/ITO structure; in this device, a stable resistive switching memory behavior with good retention characteristic was observed.

Enantioselective Michael addition of malonates to α,β-unsaturated ketones catalyzed by 1,2-diphenylethanediamine.

A general and highly enantioselective Michael addition of malonates to cinnamones and chalcones has been developed. The commercially available 1,2-diphenylethanediamine could be directly utilized as the organocatalyst to furnish the desired adducts in satisfactory yield (61-99%) and moderate to excellent enantiopurity (65 to >99% ee). β-Ketoester was also a competent donor and was employed to construct densely functionalized cyclohexenones a tandem Michael-aldol condensation process.

Modification of Talc@TiO toward high-performance nitrile rubber application.

To improve the dispersion of talcum powder (Talc) for polymer applications, modified nano-titania powders (TiO) using a silane coupling agent (KH550), a titanate coupling agent (NDZ201) and sodium polyacrylate (PAAS) were well adhered to the surface of Talc with a ball milling method, thereby preparing a series of mixed Talc@TiO particles to realize good dispersion in carboxylated acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber (XNBR). Note that Talc@TiO particles modified by PAAS and NDZ201 show better colloidal dispersion in anhydrous ethanol due to organification and repulsion of charge, with original Talc and NDZ201 modified Talc@TiO powders as a comparison. Modified Talc@TiO hybrid XNBR shows good performance characteristics, including damping capacity and impact resistance, depending mainly on the excellent mechanical property of Talc, good dispersion and the high adhesive force between modified Talc@TiO and XNBR.

Remarkably Improvement in Antibacterial Activity of Carbon Nanotubes by Hybridizing with Silver Nanodots.

In view of their super capacity of adsorbing microbial, the carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were used as the carriers for in situ synthesizing well-dispersed and small-sized silver nanodots (AgND), to prepare a new type of antibacterial agent with remarkably improved activity. Polyethyleneimine (PEI) was introduced as a linkage for guaranteeing the as-generated AgND to be anchored onto the CNTs and to prevent them from agglomeration. The obtained hybridizing materials were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and the results showed that the AgND with an average size of 2.