Optimal size and PEG coating of gold nanoparticles for prolonged blood circulation: a statistical analysis of published data.

This study presents a statistical analysis of how gold nanoparticle (GNP) size and polyethylene glycol (PEG) coating molecular weight (MW) affect the circulation of nanoparticles in blood. We showed a non-linear relationship with interaction between GNP size and PEG MW. The findings revealed a threshold effect, and recommendations for GNP coating are discussed.

Kinetics and dynamics of atomic-layer dissolution on low-defect Ag.

Electrochemical metal dissolution reaction is a fundamental process in various critical technologies, including metal anode batteries and nanofabrication. However, experimentally revealing the kinetics and dynamics of active sites of metal dissolution reactions is challenging. Herein, we investigate metal dissolution on near-perfect single-crystal surfaces of Ag within regions of a few hundred nanometers isolated by scanning electrochemical cell microscopy (SECCM).

Multi-phosphine-chelated iron-carbide clusters redox-promoted ligand exchange on an inert hexa-iron-carbide carbonyl cluster, [Fe(μ-C)(μ-CO)(CO)].

We report the reactivity, structures and spectroscopic characterization of reactions of phosphine-based ligands (mono-, di- and tri-dentate) with iron-carbide carbonyl clusters. Historically, the archetype of this cluster class, namely [Fe(μ-C)(μ-CO)(CO)], can be prepared on a gram-scale but is resistant to simple ligand substitution reactions. This limitation has precluded the relevance of iron-carbide clusters relating to organometallics, catalysis and the nitrogenase active site cluster.

Chemical synthesis of the EPF-family of plant cysteine-rich proteins and late-stage dye attachment by chemoselective amide-forming ligations.

Chemical protein synthesis can provide well-defined modified proteins. Herein, we report the chemical synthesis of plant-derived cysteine-rich secretory proteins and late-stage derivatization of the synthetic proteins. The syntheses were achieved with distinct chemoselective amide bond forming reactions - EPF2 by native chemical ligation (NCL), epidermal patterning factor (EPF) 1 by the α-ketoacid-hydroxylamine (KAHA) ligation, and fluorescent functionalization of their folded variants by potassium acyltrifluoroborate (KAT) ligation.

Engineering encapsulated ionic liquids for next-generation applications.

Ionic liquids (ILs) have attracted considerable attention in several sectors (from energy storage to catalysis, from drug delivery to separation media) owing to their attractive properties, such as high thermal stability, wide electrochemical window, and high ionic conductivity. However, their high viscosity and surface tension compared to conventional organic solvents can lead to unfavorable transport properties. To circumvent undesired kinetics effects limiting mass transfer, the discretization of ILs into small droplets has been proposed as a method to increase the effective surface area and the rates of mass transfer.

Preparation and characterization of three-dimensional hierarchical porous carbon from low-rank coal by hydrothermal carbonization for efficient iodine removal.

Low-rank coal, such as Shengli lignite (SL) and Datong bitumite (DT), has abundant reserves and is low in cost. Due to its high moisture content, abundant oxygen-containing groups, high ash content and low calorific value, low-rank coal is mainly used in a low-cost method of direct combustion. For better value-added utilization of SL and DT, a novel strategy has been developed for the preparation of oxygen-rich hierarchical porous carbons (HPCs) by hydrothermal carbonization (HTC), followed by steam activation.

nanoscale evaluation of pressure-induced changes in structural morphology of phosphonium phosphate ionic liquid at single-asperity contacts.

In this work, we perform atomic force microscopy (AFM) experiments to evaluate the dependence of the structural morphology of trihexyltetradecylphosphonium bis(2-ethylhexyl) phosphate ([P][DEHP]) ionic liquid (IL) on applied pressure. The experimental results obtained upon sliding a diamond-like-carbon-coated silicon AFM tip on mechanically polished steel at an applied pressure up to 5.5 ± 0.

Ultrasensitive Detection of Dopamine, IL-6 and SARS-CoV-2 Proteins on Crumpled Graphene FET Biosensor.

Universal platforms for biomolecular analysis using label-free sensing modalities can address important diagnostic challenges. Electrical field effect-sensors are an important class of devices that can enable point-of-care sensing by probing the charge in the biological entities. Use of crumpled graphene for this application is especially promising.

Bidirectional triplet exciton transfer between silicon nanocrystals and perylene.

Hybrid materials comprised of inorganic quantum dots functionalized with small-molecule organic chromophores have emerged as promising materials for reshaping light's energy content. Quantum dots in these structures can serve as light harvesting antennas that absorb photons and pass their energy to molecules bound to their surface in the form of spin-triplet excitons. Energy passed in this manner can fuel upconversion schemes that use triplet fusion to convert infrared light into visible emission.

Photocatalytic activity of micron-scale brass on emerging pollutant degradation in water: mechanism elucidation and removal efficacy assessment.

Alloys or smelted metal mixtures have served as cornerstones of human civilization. The advent of smelted copper and tin, , bronze, in the 4 millennium B.C.

Revealing the Intrinsic Electronic Structure of 3D Half-Heusler Thermoelectric Materials by Angle-Resolved Photoemission Spectroscopy.

Accurate determination of the intrinsic electronic structure of thermoelectric materials is a prerequisite for utilizing an electronic band engineering strategy to improve their thermoelectric performance. Herein, with high-resolution angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES), the intrinsic electronic structure of the 3D half-Heusler thermoelectric material ZrNiSn is revealed. An unexpectedly large intrinsic bandgap is directly observed by ARPES and is further confirmed by electrical and optical measurements and first-principles calculations.

Cation exchange synthesis of CuIn Ga Se nanowires and their implementation in photovoltaic devices.

CuIn Ga Se (CIGS) nanowires were synthesized for the first time through an cation exchange reaction by using CuInSe (CIS) nanowires as a template material and Ga-OLA complexes as the Ga source. These CIGS nanowires maintain nearly the same morphology as CIS nanowires, and the Ga/In ratio can be controlled through adjusting the concentration of Ga-OLA complexes. The characteristics of adjustable band gap and highly effective light-absorbances have been achieved for these CIGS nanowires.

Multicolor T-Ray Imaging Using Multispectral Metamaterials.

Recent progress in ultrafast spectroscopy and semiconductor technology is enabling unique applications in screening, detection, and diagnostics in the Terahertz (T-ray) regime. The promise of efficaciously operation in this spectral region is tempered by the lack of devices that can spectrally analyze samples at sufficient temporal and spatial resolution. Real-time, multispectral T-ray (Mul-T) imaging is reported by designing and demonstrating hyperspectral metamaterial focal plane array (MM-FPA) interfaces allowing multiband (and individually tunable) responses without compromising on the pixel size.

Nanofabricated Ultraflexible Electrode Arrays for High-Density Intracortical Recording.

Understanding brain functions at the circuit level requires time-resolved simultaneous measurement of a large number of densely distributed neurons, which remains a great challenge for current neural technologies. In particular, penetrating neural electrodes allow for recording from individual neurons at high temporal resolution, but often have larger dimensions than the biological matrix, which induces significant damage to brain tissues and therefore precludes the high implant density that is necessary for mapping large neuronal populations with full coverage. Here, it is demonstrated that nanofabricated ultraflexible electrode arrays with cross-sectional areas as small as sub-10 µm can overcome this physical limitation.

Oxygen-Vacancy Abundant Ultrafine CoO/Graphene Composites for High-Rate Supercapacitor Electrodes.

The metal oxides/graphene composites are one of the most promising supercapacitors (SCs) electrode materials. However, rational synthesis of such electrode materials with controllable conductivity and electrochemical activity is the topical challenge for high-performance SCs. Here, the CoO/graphene composite is taken as a typical example and develops a novel/universal one-step laser irradiation method that overcomes all these challenges and obtains the oxygen-vacancy abundant ultrafine CoO nanoparticles/graphene (UCNG) composites with high SCs performance.

Recent Progress in Graphite Intercalation Compounds for Rechargeable Metal (Li, Na, K, Al)-Ion Batteries.

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) with higher energy density are very necessary to meet the increasing demand for devices with better performance. With the commercial success of lithiated graphite, other graphite intercalation compounds (GICs) have also been intensively reported, not only for LIBs, but also for other metal (Na, K, Al) ion batteries. In this Progress Report, we briefly review the application of GICs as anodes and cathodes in metal (Li, Na, K, Al) ion batteries.

High-Performance Heterostructured Cathodes for Lithium-Ion Batteries with a Ni-Rich Layered Oxide Core and a Li-Rich Layered Oxide Shell.

The Ni-rich layered oxides with a Ni content of >0.5 are drawing much attention recently to increase the energy density of lithium-ion batteries. However, the Ni-rich layered oxides suffer from aggressive reaction of the cathode surface with the organic electrolyte at the higher operating voltages, resulting in consequent impedance rise and capacity fade.

Regioselective Localization and Tracking of Biomolecules on Single Gold Nanoparticles.

Selective localization of biomolecules at the hot spots of a plasmonic nanoparticle is an attractive strategy to exploit the light-matter interaction due to the high field concentration. Current approaches for hot spot targeting are time-consuming and involve prior knowledge of the hot spots. Multiphoton plasmonic lithography is employed to rapidly immobilize bovine serum albumin (BSA) hydrogel at the hot spot tips of a single gold nanotriangle (AuNT).