Zwitterionic Peptides: From Mechanism, Design Strategies to Applications.

Zwitterionic peptides, as a type of peptide composed of charged residues, are electrically neutral, which combine the advantages of zwitterionic materials and biological peptides, exhibiting hydrophilicity and programmable properties. As attractive candidates for resisting nonspecific adsorption of biomacromolecules and microorganisms, zwitterionic peptides have been applied in materials science, biomedicine, and biochemistry over the past decade. In this review, the development of zwitterionic peptides has been systematically outlined and analyzed, including their mechanisms, structure-function relationships, and design strategies.

Magnetic iron-based waterworks sludge modified by chitosan and FeS for aqueous Cr(vi) adsorption and reduction.

Heavy metals have been considered an evolving environmental concern due to their harmful and long-lasting impacts. We synthesized a composite of FeS/CS@MIBWS for aqueous Cr(vi) adsorption and reduction utilizing the iron-based waterworks sludge modified by chitosan and FeS. After determining the optimal conditions for the FeS/CS@MIBWS preparation, its Cr(vi) removal capability was evaluated using material characterisation and static Cr(vi) adsorption assays.

Modified photoanode by growth of covalent organic frameworks on BiVO for oxygen evolution reaction.

The development of efficient oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalysts is of great significance because the water oxidation reaction at the photoanode is the rate-determining step in photoelectrocatalytic (PEC) water splitting. Herein, two hybrid photoanodes named BiVO/COF-Azo and BiVO/COF-Ben were prepared by solvothermal growth on a modified BiVO photoanode. Characterization results revealed that the Azo and Ben COFs could match with BiVO well to form heterojunctions, which could effectively enhance the separation efficiency of photogenerated carriers.

ε-Polylysine organic ultra-long room-temperature phosphorescent materials based on phosphorescent molecule doping.

Achieving long-lived room-temperature phosphorescence from pure organic amorphous polymers is attractive, and afterglow materials with colour-tunable and multiple-stimuli-responsive afterglow are particularly important, but only few materials with these characteristics have been reported so far. Herein, a facile and general method is reported to construct a series of ε-polylysine (ε-PL)-based afterglow materials with tunable colour (from blue to red) and long life. By doping guest molecules into ε-PL to obtain composite materials, the polymer matrix provides a rigid environment for luminescent groups, resulting in amorphous polymers with different RTPs.

A Ru/RuO heterostructure boosting electrochemistry-assisted selective benzoic acid hydrogenation.

Electrocatalytic hydrogenation of benzoic acid (BA) to cyclohexanecarboxylic acid (CCA) at ambient temperature and pressure has been recognized as a promising alternative to thermal hydrogenation since water is required as the hydrogen source. So far, only a few Pt-based electrocatalysts have been developed in acidic electrolyte. To overcome the limitations of reactant solubility and catalyst corrosion, herein, carbon fiber-supported Ru electrocatalysts with abundant Ru/RuO heterojunctions were fabricated cyclic electrodeposition between -0.

Catalytic activity and mechanism of selective catalytic oxidation of ammonia by Ag-CeO under different preparation conditions.

Given the problem of the high-temperature window of CeO catalyst activity, this study evaluated the catalytic properties of Ag/CeO prepared by changing the preparation methods and loadings. Our experiments showed that Ag/CeO-IM catalysts prepared by the equal volume impregnation method could have better activity at lower temperatures. The Ag/CeO-IM catalyst achieves 90% NH conversion at 200 °C, and the main reason is that the Ag/CeO-IM catalyst has more vital redox properties, and the NH catalytic oxidation temperature is lower.

Continuous synthesis of 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-4-piperidinol over CuCrSr/AlO: effect of Sr promoter.

A continuous process was developed for catalytic hydrogenation of triacetoneamine (TAA) to 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-4-piperidinol (TMP), both of which are indispensable raw materials of hindered amine light stabilizers. A series of promoter-modified CuCr/AlO catalysts were prepared by co-precipitation method and evaluated by the above reaction. The effect of promoter on the catalytic performance was explored by characterization tools, in which, CuCrSr/AlO exhibited excellent catalytic performance with nearly complete conversion of TAA and over 97% selectivity of TMP at 120 °C.

Synthesis and characterization of a phosphotungstic acid composite carrier and its application in solid chlorine dioxide disinfectant.

Chlorine dioxide (ClO) is an antimicrobial compound used in water. The short release time of existing solid chlorine dioxide disinfectants significantly inhibits their bactericidal efficiency. We propose a novel approach in which attapulgite was introduced into phosphotungstic acid and SBA-15 to achieve the slow-release of chlorine dioxide disinfectant tablets.

Understanding the role of Cu/Cu sites at CuO based catalysts in ethanol production from CO electroreduction -A DFT study.

CuO based electrocatalysts generally exhibit better selectivity for C products (ethylene or ethanol) in electrochemical carbon dioxide reduction. The surface characteristic of the mixed Cu and Cu chemical state is believed to play an essential role that is still unclear. In the present study, density functional theory (DFT) calculations have been performed to understand the role of copper chemical states in selective ethanol formation using a partially reduced CuO surface model consisting of adjacent Cu/Cu sites.

Effect of mass ratio on micro-mesoporous Cu-SSZ-13/CeWTi composite catalysts for the selective catalytic reduction of NO with ammonia.

A series of micro-mesoporous SSZ-13/CeWTi composites with different zeolite/oxide ratios were synthesized using a one-step crystallization method. The effects of the mass ratio on the crystal form, specific surface area, pore structure, surface element properties, redox properties, surface acidity and deNO performance of the Cu-SSZ-13/CeWTi composite catalysts were investigated using X-ray diffractometry (XRD), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller analysis (BET), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), H temperature programmed reduction (H-TPR) and NH temperature programmed desorption (NH-TPD). The results reveal that the Cu-SSZ-13/CeWTi composite catalysts formed a micro-mesoporous structure.

AuNP array coated substrate for sensitive and homogeneous SERS-immunoassay detection of human immunoglobulin G.

Owing to the high sensitivity, fast responsiveness and high specificity, immunoassays using surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) as the readout signal displayed great potential in disease diagnosis. In this study, we developed a SERS-immunoassay method for the detection of human immunoglobulin G (HIgG). Upon involving well-ordered AuA on a SERSIA substrate, the LSPR effect was further enhanced to generate a strong and uniform Raman signal through the formation of sandwich structure with the addition of target HIgG and SERSIA tag.

Preparation of rGO@FeO nanocomposite and its application to enhance the thermal conductivity of epoxy resin.

In this study, we report a simple method to improve the thermal conductivity of epoxy resin by using new magnetic composites as fillers. The rGO@FeO nanocomposite has been prepared by a solvothermal method, and its morphology and chemical structure were characterized and analyzed by various characterization methods. Afterwards, the rGO@FeO/EP composite material was obtained in an external magnetic field, in which the rGO@FeO is uniformly dispersed in the epoxy resin matrix, arranged along the direction of the magnetic field.

A soft intelligent dressing with pH and temperature sensors for early detection of wound infection.

Wound infection is a common clinical problem. Traditional detection methods can not provide infection early warning information in time. With the development of flexible electronics, flexible wearable devices have been widely used in the field of intelligent monitoring.

Synthesis of a hydrophobic associating polymer and its application in plugging spacer fluid.

The high temperature of formation and multiple stages of leakage zone seriously affect the efficiency and safety of drilling and cementing operations. To improve leakage plugging quality before the cementing process, the hydrophobic associating polymer PHAAO was synthesized from acrylamide (AM), 2-acrylamide-2-methyl propane sulfonic acid (AMPS), and the long side-chain hydrophobic monomer octadecyl dimethyl allyl ammonium chloride (ODAAC) in this study. The structure and molecular weight of the polymer were characterized, and it was proved that the polymer has strong association properties and excellent heat resistance.

Detection of carcinoma in serous effusions: a review.

A malignant serous effusion is one of the most common complications of advanced tumors, indicating a poor prognosis and having a profound impact on diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis. It is of great significance to identify benign and malignant effusions quickly and accurately. Both cellular and non-cellular components in the effusion can be employed for detection, diagnostic methods are necessary to obtain a definite diagnosis and more relevant information such as tumor classification.

Porous MOF-808@PVDF beads for removal of iodine from gas streams.

The removal of radioiodine from the exhaust gas streams produced in spent fuel reprocessing plants is of paramount importance for the nuclear fuel cycle's security. Here, millimeter-sized poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) composites containing zirconium-based metal-organic frameworks, MOF-808, were synthesized by a facile phase inversion method to adsorb the volatile iodine. MOF-808@PVDF composites have inherited the crystallinity and pore accessibility of MOF-808, as well as its outstanding iodine capture performance.

Corrosion behavior and mechanism of ductile iron with different degrees of deterioration of cement mortar lining in reclaimed water pipelines.

The deterioration of cement mortar lining (CML) has a significant impact on the corrosion of ductile iron pipes, and further affects the water quality of transported reclaimed water. In this study, the different coverage levels of CML (such as lined (100%), 90% and 50% lining coverage and unlined) were used for simulating different degrees of deterioration of CML. Electrochemical measurements, water quality testing and corrosion product microanalysis were carried out to monitor the corrosion process and investigate the corrosion mechanism.

Multi-enzyme pyruvate removal system to enhance ()-selective reductive amination of ketones.

Biocatalytic transamination is widely used in industrial production of chiral chemicals. Here, we constructed a novel multi-enzyme system to promote the conversion of the amination reaction. Firstly, we constructed the ArR-ωTA/TdcE/FDH/LDH multi-enzyme system, by combination of ()-selective ω-transaminase derived from sp.

Generalizable, Reproducible, and Neuroscientifically Interpretable Imaging Biomarkers for Alzheimer's Disease.

Precision medicine for Alzheimer's disease (AD) necessitates the development of personalized, reproducible, and neuroscientifically interpretable biomarkers, yet despite remarkable advances, few such biomarkers are available. Also, a comprehensive evaluation of the neurobiological basis and generalizability of the end-to-end machine learning system should be given the highest priority. For this reason, a deep learning model (3D attention network, 3DAN) that can simultaneously capture candidate imaging biomarkers with an attention mechanism module and advance the diagnosis of AD based on structural magnetic resonance imaging is proposed.

Super-Soft DNA/Dopamine-Grafted-Dextran Hydrogel as Dynamic Wire for Electric Circuits Switched by a Microbial Metabolism Process.

Engineering dynamic systems or materials to respond to biological process is one of the major tasks in synthetic biology and will enable wide promising applications, such as robotics and smart medicine. Herein, a super-soft and dynamic DNA/dopamine-grafted-dextran hydrogel, which shows super-fast volume-responsiveness with high sensitivity upon solvents with different polarities and enables creation of electric circuits in response to microbial metabolism is reported. Synergic permanent and dynamic double networks are integrated in this hydrogel.

High Color Purity Lead-Free Perovskite Light-Emitting Diodes via Sn Stabilization.

Perovskite-based light-emitting diodes (PeLEDs) are now approaching the upper limits of external quantum efficiency (EQE); however, their application is currently limited by reliance on lead and by inadequate color purity. The Rec. 2020 requires Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage coordinates of (0.

The Assembly of MXenes from 2D to 3D.

Since their discovery in 2011, transition metal carbides or nitrides (MXenes) have attracted a wide range of attention due to their unique properties and promise for use in a variety of applications. However, the low accessible surface area and poor processability of MXene nanosheets caused by their restacking have severely hindered their practical use, and this is expected to be solved by integrating them into macroscopic assemblies. Here, recent progress in the construction of MXene assemblies from 2D to 3D at the macro and/or microlevel is summarized.

Synthesis of graphene aerogels using cyclohexane and -butanol as soft templates.

Graphene aerogels (GAs) were synthesized a one-step hydrothermal method. Generally, the pore shape and diameter of GAs are difficult to control or the preparation process is complicated, requiring a multi-step operation. Herein, a soft-template one-step hydrothermal synthesis process was proposed to produce GAs with controllable pore sizes.