Search

In vitro cardiomyocyte mechano-sensing platform is crucial for evaluating the mechanical performance of cardiac tissues and will be an indispensable tool for application in drug discovery and disease mechanism study. Magnetic sensing offers significant advantages in real-time, in situ wireless monitoring and resistance to ion interference. However, due to the mismatch between the stiffness of traditional rigid magnetic material and myocardial tissue, sensitivity is insufficient and it is difficult to achieve cell structure induction and three-dimensional cultivation. Herein, a magnetic sensing platform that integrates a neodymium-iron-boron/polydimethylsiloxane (NdFeB/PDMS) flexible microbeam with suspended and ordered polycaprolactone (PCL) nanofiber membranes was developed, providing a three-dimensional anisotropic culture environment for cardiomyocyte growth and simultaneously realizing in situ wireless contractility monitoring. The as-prepared sensor presented an ultrahigh sensitivity of 442.2 μV/μm and a deflection resolution of 2 μm. By continuously monitoring the cardiomyocyte growth status and drug stimulation feedback, we verified the capability of the platform to capture dynamic changes in cardiomyocyte contractility. This platform provides a perspective tool for evaluating cardiomyocyte maturity and drug performance.

In this study, neodymium-doped titanium dioxide (Nd-TiO 2 ) nanoparticles were synthesized via a hydrothermal method for the photocatalytic degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) under UV and sunlight conditions. The properties of these NPs were comprehensively characterized. And optimization of RhB degradation was conducted using control-variable experiment and artificial neural networks (ANN) under various operational conditions and in the presence of competing compounds. The acute toxicity of both NPs, RhB, and the environmental impact of the photocatalytic treatment effluent on Danio rerio were evaluated. The Nd modification increased the catalyst's specific surface area and thermal stability. X-ray diffraction confirmed the tetragonal anatase phase in undoped TiO 2 , while Nd-doped TiO 2 exhibited shifts in peaks and the presence of brookite and rutile phases. Nd (1 mol%) doped TiO 2 demonstrated superior RhB photocatalytic degradation efficiency, achieving 95% degradation and 82% total organic carbon (TOC) removal within 60 min under UV irradiation. Optimization under sunlight conditions yielded 95.14% RhB removal with 0.28 g/L photocatalyst and 1% doping. Under UV light, 98.12% RhB removal was optimized with 0.97% doping, along with the presence of humic acid and CaCl 2 . ANN modeling achieved high precision (R 2 of 0.99) in modeling environmental photocatalysis. Toxicity assessments indicated that the 96-h LC50 values were 681.59 mg L -1 for both NPs, and 23.02 mg L -1 for RhB. The treated dye solution exhibited a significant decline in toxicity, emphasizing the potential of 1% Nd-TiO 2 in wastewater treatment., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

In recent years, flexible and stretchable strain sensors have emerged as a prominent area of research, primarily due to their remarkable stretchability and extremely low strain detection threshold. Nevertheless, the advancement of sensors is currently constrained by issues such as complexity, high costs, and limited durability. To tackle the aforementioned issues, this study introduces a lepidophyte-inspired flexible, stretchable strain sensor (LIFSSS). The stretchable bioelectronics composites were composed of multiwalled carbon nanotubes, graphene, neodymium iron boron, and polydimethylsiloxane. Unique biolepidophyted microstructures and magnetic conductive nanocomposites interact with each other through synergistic interactions, resulting in the effective detection of tensile strain and magnetic excitation. The LIFSSS exhibits a 170% tensile range, a linearity of 0.99 in 50-170% strain (0.96 for full-scale range), and a fine durability of 7000 cycles at 110% tensile range. The sensor accurately detects variations in linear tensile force, human movement, and microexpressions. Moreover, LIFSSS demonstrates enhanced efficacy in sign language recognition for individuals with hearing impairments and magnetic grasping for robotic manipulators. Hence, the LIFSSS proposed in this study shows potential applications in various fields, including bioelectronics, electronic skin, and physiological activity monitoring.

Efficient rare earth element (REE) separations are becoming increasingly important to technologies ranging from renewable energy and high-performance magnets to applied radioisotope separations. These separations are made challenging by the extremely similar chemical and physical characteristics of the individual elements, which almost always occupy the 3+ oxidation state under ambient conditions. Herein, we discuss the development of a novel REE separation aimed at obtaining purified samples of neodymium (Nd) on a multi-milligram scale using high-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC). The method takes advantage of the subtle differences in ionic radii between neighboring REEs to tune elution rates in dilute acid through implementation of the di-(2-ethylhexyl)phosphoric acid (HDEHP)-infused stationary phase (SP) of the column. A La/Ce/Nd/Sm separation was demonstrated at a significantly higher metal loading than previously accomplished by HSCCC (15 mg, R Nd/REE > 0.85), while the Pr/Nd separation was achieved at lower metal loadings (0.3 mg, R Nd/Pr = 0.75 - 0.83). The challenges associated with scaling REE separations via HSCCC are presented and discussed within., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Biological ion channels exhibit high selectivity and permeability of ions because of their asymmetrical pore structures and surface chemistries. Here, we demonstrate a biomimetic nanofluidic channel (BNC) with an asymmetrical structure and glycyl-L-proline (GLP) -functionalization for ultrafast, selective, and unidirectional Dy 3+ extraction over other lanthanide (Ln 3+ ) ions with very similar electronic configurations. The selective extraction mainly depends on the amplified chemical affinity differences between the Ln 3+ ions and GLPs in nanoconfinement. In particular, the conductivities of Ln 3+ ions across the BNC even reach up to two orders of magnitude higher than in a bulk solution, and a high Dy 3+ /Nd 3+ selectivity of approximately 60 could be achieved. The designed BNC can effectively extract Dy 3+ ions with ultralow concentrations and thereby purify Nd 3+ ions to an ultimate content of 99.8 wt.%, which contribute to the recycling of rare earth resources and environmental protection. Theoretical simulations reveal that the BNC preferentially binds to Dy 3+ ion due to its highest affinity among Ln 3+ ions in nanoconfinement, which attributes to the coupling of ion radius and coordination matching. These findings suggest that BNC-based ion selectivity system provides alternative routes to achieving highly efficient lanthanide separation., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

The aim of this research is to investigate novel compositions of oxyfluoride glasses doped with Neodymium (Nd 3+ ) rare earth ions in the visible spectrum. This area has not been extensively studied in the existing literature, so it is vital to understand the favorable photoluminescence characteristics within this part of the electromagnetic spectrum. Therefore, we synthesized and characterized SiO 2 -PbO-PbF 2 (SPF) doped with 1% neodymium (Nd 3+ ) ions glasses. Spectroscopic analyses, based on Judd-Ofelt theory, were conducted on absorption spectra. These analyses enabled to determine absorption cross-sections, transition probabilities, and Judd-Ofelt intensity parameters Ω 2 , Ω 4 , and Ω 6 for the different transition. Additionally, we calculated various radiative properties, such as branching ratios, integrated cross-sections, radiative lifetimes, emission cross-section, optical gain, and the multicolor behavior (chromaticity coordinates, CIE diagram) under different excitation wavelengths. The results suggest promising prospects for using these oxyfluoride silicate glasses doped with Nd 3+ as a fluorophore, potentially for lasing materials around 630-nm emission and in other photonic applications., (© 2024 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

The near-infrared (NIR) down-conversion process for broadband sensitization has been studied in Eu 2+ -Nd 3+ co-doped BaAl 2 O 4 . This material has a broad absorption band of 200-480 nm and can convert photons in the visible region into NIR photons. The NIR emission at 1064 nm, attributed to the Nd 3+ : 4 F 3/2  →  4 I 11/2 transition, matches the bandgap of Si, allowing Si solar cells to utilize the solar spectrum better. The energy transfer (ET) process between Eu 2+ and Nd 3+ was demonstrated using photoluminescence spectra and luminescence decay curves, and Eu 2+ may transfer energy to Nd 3+ through the cooperative energy transfer (CET) to achieve the down-conversion process. The energy transfer efficiency (ETE) and theoretical quantum efficiency (QE) were 68.61% and 156.34%, respectively, when 4 mol% Nd 3+ was introduced. The results indicate that BaAl 2 O 4 :Eu 2+ -Nd 3+ can serve as a potential modulator of the solar spectrum and is expected to be applied to Si solar cells., (© 2024 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Near-infrared fluorescence (NIRF) thermometry is an emerging method for the noncontact measurement of in vivo deep temperatures. Fluorescence-lifetime-based methods are effective because they are unaffected by optical loss due to excitation or detection paths. Moreover, the physiological changes in body temperature in deep tissues and their pharmacological effects are yet to be fully explored. In this study, we investigated the potential application of the NIRF lifetime-based method for temperature measurement of in vivo deep tissues in the abdomen using rare-earth-based particle materials. β-NaYF 4 particles codoped with Nd 3+ and Yb 3+ (excitation: 808 nm, emission: 980 nm) were used as NIRF thermometers, and their fluorescence decay curves were exponential. Slope linearity analysis (SLA), a screening method, was proposed to extract pixels with valid data. This method involves performing a linearity evaluation of the semilogarithmic plot of the decay curve collected at three delay times after cutting off the pulsed laser irradiation. After intragastric administration of the thermometer, the stomach temperature was monitored by using an NIRF time-gated imaging setup. Concurrently, a heater was attached to the lower abdomens of the mice under anesthesia. A decrease in the stomach temperature under anesthesia and its recovery via the heater indicated changes in the fluorescence lifetime of the thermometer placed inside the body. Thus, NaYF 4 :Nd 3+ /Yb 3+ functions as a fluorescence thermometer that can measure in vivo temperature based on the temperature dependence of the fluorescence lifetime at 980 nm under 808 nm excitation. This study demonstrated the ability of a rare-earth-based NIRF thermometer to measure deep tissues in live mice, with the proposed SLA method for excluding the noisy deviations from the analysis for measuring temperature using the NIRF lifetime of a rare-earth-based thermometer.

Knee replacement surgery confronts challenges including patient dissatisfaction and the necessity for secondary procedures. A key requirement lies in dual-modal measurement of force and temperature of artificial joints during postoperative monitoring. Here, a novel non-toxic near-infrared (NIR) phosphor Sr 3 Sn 2 O 7 :Nd, Yb, is designed to realize the dual-modal measurement. The strategy is to entail phonon-assisted upconversion luminescence (UCL) and trap-controlled mechanoluminescence (ML) in a single phosphor well within the NIR biological transmission window. The phosphor is embedded in medical bone cement forming a smart joint in total knee replacements illustrated as a proof-of-concept. The sensing device can be charged in vitro by a commercial X-ray source with a safe dose rate for ML, and excited by a low power 980 nm laser for UCL. It attains impressive force and temperature sensing capabilities, exhibiting a force resolution of 0.5% per 10 N, force detection threshold of 15 N, and a relative temperature sensitive of up to 1.3% K -1 at 309 K. The stability against humidity and thermal shock together with the robustness of the device are attested. This work introduces a novel methodological paradigm, paving the way for innovative research to enhance the functionality of artificial tissues and joints in living organisms., (© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

Sustainable technologies for the recovery of rare earth elements (REE) from waste need to be developed to decrease the volume of ore mining extractions and its negative environmental consequences, while simultaneously restoring previously impacted lands. This is critical due to the extensive application of REE in everyday life from electronic devices to energy and medical technologies, and the dispersed distribution of REE resources in the world. REE recovery by plants has been previously studied but the feasibility of REE phytoextraction from a poorly soluble solid phase (i.e., nanoparticles) by different plant species has been rarely investigated. In this study, the effect of biostimulation and bioaugmentation on phytorecovery of REE nanoparticles (REE-NP) was investigated by exposing ryegrass seeds to REE-NP in hydroponic environments. This was studied in two sets of experiments: bioaugmentation (using CeO 2 nanoparticles and Methylobacterium extorquens AM1 pure culture), and biostimulation (using CeO 2 or Nd 2 O 3 nanoparticles and endogenous microorganisms). Addition of M. extorquens AM1 in bioaugmentation experiment including 500 mg/L CeO 2 nanoparticles could not promote the nanoparticles accumulation in both natural and surface-sterilized treatments. However, it enhanced the translocation of Ce from roots to shoots in sterile samples. Moreover, another REE-utilizing bacterium, Bacillus subtilis, was enriched more than M. extorquens in control samples (no M. extorquens AM1), and associated with 52% and 14% higher Ce extraction in both natural (165 μg/g dried-plant ) and surface-sterilized samples (136 μg/g dried-plant ), respectively; showing the superior effect of endogenous microorganisms' enrichment over bioaugmentation in this experiment. In the biostimulation experiments, up to 705 μg/g dried-plant Ce and 19,641 μg/g dried-plant Nd could be extracted when 500 mg/L REE-NP were added. Furthermore, SEM-EDS analysis of the surface and longitudinal cross-sections of roots in Nd 2 O 3 treatments confirmed surface and intracellular accumulation of Nd 2 O 3 -NP. These results demonstrate stimulation of endogenous microbial community can lead to an enhanced REE phytoaccumulation., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Near-infrared mechanoluminescence is a phenomenon that produces high penetrating near-infrared light under external stimulation. Near-infrared light coincides with the biological window, lower optical loss, and the fact that the mechanoluminescence material is a medium that converts mechanical energy into light energy. The near-infrared mechanoluminescence material has potential application prospects in the fields of biological imaging, medical diagnosis, and monitoring of building materials. In this article, we report on a perovskite-type Sr 3 Sn 2 O 7 :Nd 3+ near-infrared mechanoluminescence material, and its peaks locate in the first near-infrared window (800-1000 nm) and the second near-infrared window (1080, 1350 nm), respectively. Under the condition of pre-sintering with Li 2 CO 3 as flux, the best sintering conditions are obtained, and the luminescence of material is in perfect agreement with the applied mechanical stress. In addition, a near-infrared mechanoluminescence sensor is proposed to solve the problem of building damage and timely maintenance., (© 2024 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Our study focused on the optical behavior, methylene blue (MB) dye degradation potential, antibacterial performance, and silver and trioxide mineral interaction with different bacterial species. We found that the addition of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) to neodymium oxide (Nd 2 O 3 ) resulted in a significant response, with an enlargement of the inhibition zone for bacterial species such as Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. Specifically, the inhibition zone for S. aureus increased from 9.3 ± 0.5 mm for pure Nd 2 O 3 to 16.7 ± 0.4 mm for the Ag/Nd 2 O 3 nano-composite, while for E. coli, it increased from 8.8 ± 0.4 mm for Nd 2 O 3 to 15.9 ± 0.3 mm for Ag/Nd 2 O 3 . Furthermore, the optical behavior of the composites showed a clear band-gap narrowing with the addition of Ag NPs, resulting in enhanced electronic localization. The direct and indirect transitions reduced from 6.7 to 6.1 eV and from 5.2 to 2.9 eV, respectively. Overall, these results suggest that the Ag/Nd 2 O 3 nano-composite has potential applications in sensor industries and water treatment, thanks to its enhanced optical behavior, antibacterial performance, and efficient MB degradation capabilities. In terms of MB degradation, the Ag/Nd 2 O 3 mixed system exhibited more efficient degradation compared to pure Nd 2 O 3 . After 150 min, the MB concentration in the mixed system decreased to almost half of its starting point, while pure Nd 2 O 3 only reached 33%., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

The efficient and sustainable recovery of rare earth resources from spent NdFeB magnets has received considerable and increasing attention. However, the currently prevalent NdFeB magnets recovery techniques focus only on the recovery for rare earth elements (REEs), some of which also recover cobalt (Co) or boron (B). Herein, a simple mechanochemical strategy was proposed to recover REE, Co, and B from spent NdFeB magnets by mixing the NdFeB magnets powder and FeCl 3 6H 2 O through the grinding-roasting-water leaching technological route. The results indicated high leaching efficiencies of 98.94 % for REEs, 99.99 % for Co, and 93.36 % for B from the NdFeB magnets. Additionally, iron remains in the leaching residue as iron oxide (96.73 wt %), achieving the complete separation of REEs, Co, B, and Fe. This mechanochemical based technology offers a green and efficient recovery process, facilitating more effective synergistic recovery of valuable elements from spent NdFeB magnets., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)