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Adaptive control of solar light based on an optical switching strategy is essential to tune thermal gain, while real-time solar regulation and hence on-demand thermal management coupled with dynamic conditions still faces a formidable challenge. Herein, we develop a stacking structure which is mechanosensitive and can be finely tuned depending on the dynamic cavitation effect. Specifically, the stacking structure transfers from a solid monolith state to porous layered state progressively under mechanical stretching, and the resulting porous layered state gradually goes back to the solid monolith state once the load is released. Such structure switching results in gradual reversible optical transition from highly transparent to highly reflective, giving rise to high solar regulation capability coupled with continuous solar controllability. Based on this, the stacking structure functions allow multiple thermal management, not only for solar heating and radiative cooling, but also multi-stage thermoregulation and real-time thermal management on demand via a simple mechanical method. Moreover, the mechanosensitive stacking structure demonstrates impressive optical stability against external mechanical forces and extreme environments, with the combination of stability, durability, scalability, applicability, and self-cleaning ability.

A precisely controllable heat treatment process is critical for nanofabrication. We developed a two-step method to fabricate a graphdiyne nanotube (GNT) through heat treatment in an argon environment. Initially, we placed a carbon nanotube (CNT) near a rectangular graphdiyne nanoribbon (GNR) to trigger the self-scrolling of the ribbon. Once the ribbon forms a scroll, we increased the ambient temperature to induce the formation of interlayer covalent C-C bonds within the scroll, ultimately resulting in a GNT after system annealing. The self-scrolling process of the GNR, protected by argon gas, is highly sensitive to ambient temperature. Molecular dynamics simulations show that self-scrolling can be controlled by adjusting the gas density and/or ambient temperature. In summary, a controlled heating process starting from an ultralow temperature initiates the self-scrolling of a GNR onto a CNT, followed by the generation of covalent bonds within the GNR at higher temperatures. Since the new covalent bond topology remains stable even after cooling, a stable GNT is obtained. The size of the pores on the GNT shell depends on the number of newly formed bonds. These insights will enhance the fabrication and application of GNTs as nanofilters.

The interactions between ZnO nanorods and H 2 at different temperatures are revealed with 17 O solid-state NMR spectroscopy in combination with a variety of different characterization methods. These results should enable further understanding of the adsorption properties of H 2 on ZnO nanocrystalline or related nanomaterials.

Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs), as one of the most promising bio-sourced materials, have been drawing increasing attention as they offer an attractive route for the rational design and sustainable manufacturing of photonic materials owing to their cholesteric self-assembly from the suspension to solid state. Such an organization process can be readily regulated depending on either internal factors or external forces. In this review, recent advances in the control over the self-assembly process and photonic organizations of CNCs are summarized. Furthermore, an in-depth understanding of diverse factors affecting the nano-scaled periodicity and micro-scaled alignment of CNC cholesteric organization is obtained from perspectives of bulk building blocks, solution environment, extra additives, and external forces. Additionally, the roles of the multi-sized photonic architecture associated with photonic-photonic coupling and the macrogeometry related to the complex confined self-assembly are highlighted for sophisticated CNC optical materials. Finally, insights into the future challenges in the field of CNC photonic materials, regarding the precise mechanism of CNC self-assembly and translation of CNC photonic technology from academia to industry, are proposed., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Here, we have synthesized six dihydroxyl-functionalized ionic liquids for phase behavior studies at low temperature via crystallographic methods, Raman spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Phase varieties are observed depending on the direction and strength of hydrogen bonding. Our studies also show that the ILs could be potentially excellent phase-change thermal storage materials with nearly no change of the phase transition enthalpy.

A novel nanocomposite, [Eu(BTD) 3 (DPBT)]-BSA@MnO 2 , is reported to serve as an effective nanoprobe for bimodal time-gated luminescence (TGL) and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging of H 2 O 2 in vitro and in vivo . The nanoprobe was fabricated by immobilizing visible-light-excitable Eu 3+ complexes in bovine serum albumin (BSA)-coated lamellar MnO 2 nanosheets. The TGL of the Eu 3+ complex was effectively quenched by the MnO 2 nanosheets. Upon exposure to H 2 O 2 , the MnO 2 nanosheets underwent reduction to Mn 2+ , which simultaneously triggered rapid, selective and sensitive "turn-on" responses toward H 2 O 2 in both TGL and MR detection modes. The presence of a protective "corona" formed by BSA enables the nanoprobe to withstand high concentrations of glutathione (GSH), a strong reducing agent of MnO 2 nanosheets. This capability allows the nanoprobe to be utilized for detecting H 2 O 2 in living biosamples. The combined utilization of TGL and MR detection modes enables the nanoprobe to image H 2 O 2 across a wide range of resolutions, from the subcellular level to the whole body, without any depth limitations. The results obtained from these modes can be cross-validated, enhancing the accuracy of the detection. The capability of the nanoprobe was validated by TGL imaging of endogenous and exogenous H 2 O 2 in live HeLa cells, as well as bimodal TGL-MR imaging of H 2 O 2 in tumor-bearing mice. The research achievements suggest that the integration of luminescent lanthanide complexes with protein-coated MnO 2 nanosheets offers a promising bimodal TGL-MR sensing platform for H 2 O 2 in vitro and in vivo .

We present a facile strategy to achieve color-tunability room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP) nanoprobes by doping mineral acids ( i.e. , boric acid and phosphoric acid) in an organic silicon scaffold through a cross-linking process. Such RTP nanoprobes exhibit inherent tunable phosphorescence (from 420-650 nm) with long lifetime (emission lasting for ∼5-15 s, RTP lifetime: ∼0.53-2.11 s) and high quantum yields (∼13.1-43.0%). Therefore, the as-prepared nanoprobes enable multiple imaging in live cells with a high signal-to-background ratio value of ∼52.

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have shown promise for adsorptive separations of metal ions. Herein, MOFs based on highly stable Zr(IV) building units were systematically functionalized with targeted metal binding groups. Through competitive adsorption studies, it was shown that the selectivity for different metal ions was directly tunable through functional group chemistry.

We present a facile strategy to achieve purely organic multi-colour room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP) films by doping typical fused-ring compounds into a poly(vinyl alcohol) matrix. Such RTP films demonstrate inherent RTP emission ranging from green to red with a long lifetime and high quantum yield (QY) (lifetime: ∼0.56 ms, QY: ∼35.4%). We further exploit such high-performance RTP films for dynamic information encryption.

Interactions of ZnO nanorods with water and the dynamic migration characteristic of surface oxygen species are important in controlling its structure and catalytic properties. Here, we apply 17 O solid-state NMR spectroscopy to investigate the interactions, as well as oxygen ion diffusion properties of ZnO nanorods under different conditions.

The physical and chemical properties of metal oxide nanocrystals are closely related to their exposed facets, so the study on facet structures is helpful to develop facet/morphology-property relationships and rationally design nanostructures with desired properties. In this study, wurtzite ZnO nanorods with different aspect ratios were prepared by controlling the Zn 2+ /OH - ratio, temperature and time in hydrothermal processes. An 17 O solid-state NMR study was performed on these nanorods, after surface 17 O labeling, to explore the relationship of the 17 O NMR signals with the local surface structure of different exposed facets, i.e. , nonpolar (101̄0) and polar (0002) facets. It is observed that, one of the signals, the sharp component of a peak at -18.8 ppm, comprises the contribution from the oxygen ions on the polar (0002) facets, in addition to that from nonpolar (101̄0) facets, which is confirmed by 17 O NMR spectra of ZnO nanorods with controlled aspect ratios and different thermal treatment conditions. This is important for accurately interpreting the 17 O NMR signal of ZnO-containing materials, especially when studying the facet-related mechanisms. The method applied here can also be extended to study the facet-dependent properties of other faceted oxide nanocrystals.

Innovation in the molecular structure of surfactants is important for the preparation of soft materials with novel properties. In this study, we synthesized a cationic surfactant, N 1 , N 1 , N 1 , N 1 , N 3 , N 3 , N 3 -pentamethyl- N 3 -(3-stearamidopropyl)propane-1,3-diammonium bromide, hereafter referred to as C18-DQA. Unlike conventional cationic surfactants, C18-DQA contains two quaternary ammonium head groups and a long-saturated alkyl chain equal to a chain length of 21 carbon atoms. C18-DQA exhibits a low Krafft point of ∼0 °C and a water solubility >1000 mM at 25 °C. The critical micelle concentration (cmc) of C18-DQA was determined to be 0.59 mM using the Nile red method. C18-DQA was mixed with sodium laurate (SL) at different molar ratios to produce transparent solutions with excellent viscoelasticity over a wide concentration range. The 1 : 1.5 molar ratio C18-DQA/SL mixed solutions exhibited gel-like behavior for a total surfactant concentration of 2.88 wt% (75 mM). The solution with a total surfactant concentration of 300 mM (120 mM C18-DQA and 180 mM SL) achieved a maximum zero-shear viscosity ( η 0 ) of 4224 Pa s. Cryogenic transmission electron microscopy analysis revealed the formation of extremely long wormlike micelles, with a cross-sectional diameter of 5 nm and contour length >3 μm, in the mixed solutions. C18-DQA and SL molecules were drawn close by electrostatic attractions, leading to a suitable molecular geometry for the extensive growth of wormlike micelles. This work will act as an important reference for the future preparation of highly viscoelastic solutions by mixing cationic and anionic surfactants. The proposed system is also expected to have potential applications in cosmetic formulations, home care products, and oilfield fracturing fluids.

Innovation in surfactant structures is an effective way to prepare new soft materials with novel applications. In this study, we synthesized a double-tailed surfactant containing two quaternary ammonium head groups (Di-C12-N2). The Di-C12-N2 solution behavior was investigated by surface tension, fluorescence, rheology, and cryo-TEM methods. Although Di-C12-N2 contained a large double-tailed hydrophobic group, the solubility of Di-C12-N2 was ∼90 mmol L -1 at 25 °C with a Krafft temperature of ∼1 °C. The increase in Di-C12-N2 concentration in the solutions led to the formation of various aggregates, including spherical micelles, worm-like micelles, multi-layered vesicles, and a rare type of small toroidal micelles. The two quaternary ammonium head groups in Di-C12-N2 led to strong electrostatic interactions between molecules, which was critical for the formation of toroidal micelles. Moreover, with an added NaCl concentration of 40 mmol L -1 , the viscosity of the 5 mmol L -1 Di-C12-N2 solution increased by ∼1000 times compared to the pure 5 mmol L -1 Di-C12-N2 solution, revealing the high sensitivity of the unique head groups to ionic strength. This study enriches the research on the self-assembly principles of surfactants and brings new potential applications for new soft materials.

Ultrafast-charging is the focus of next-generation rechargeable batteries for widespread economic success by reducing the time cost. However, the poor ion diffusion rate, intrinsic electronic conductivity and structural stability of cathode materials seriously hinder the development of ultrafast-charging technology. To overcome these challenges, an interfacial dynamics and thermodynamics synergistic strategy is proposed to synchronously enhance the fast-charging capability and structural stability of polyanion cathode materials. As a case study, a Na 3 V 2 (PO 4 ) 3 composite (NVP/NSC) is successfully obtained by introducing an interface layer derived from N/S co-doped carbon dots. Density functional theory calculations validate that the interfacial bonding effect of V-N/S-C significantly reduces the Na + transport energy barrier. D-band center theory analysis confirms the downward shift of the V d-band center enhances the strength of the V-O bond and considerably inhibits irreversible phase transformation. Benefitting from this interfacial synergistic strategy, NVP/NSC achieves a high capability and excellent cycling stability with a surprisingly low carbon content (2.23%) at an extremely high rate of 100C for 10 000 cycles (87.2 mA h g -1 , 0.0028% capacity decay per cycle). Furthermore, a superior performance at 5C (115.3 mA h g -1 , 92.1% capacity retention after 800 cycles) is exhibited by the NVP/NSC‖HC full cell. These findings provide timely new insights for the systematic design of ultrafast-charging cathode materials., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

The absence of high-efficiency oxide red phosphors restricts the development of high-performance solid-state lighting. In this work, a series of Li + doped Sr 4 Al 14 O 25 :Mn 4+ (SAO-Li + ) red phosphors were prepared. Theoretical calculation results indicate that Li + is inclined to occupy the gap 2 position. The low concentration Li + gap doping has almost no influence on the Sr 4 Al 14 O 25 structure, and a 0.4 mol Li + -doped sample exhibits a pure phase with regular morphology. With increasing Li + doping content, the luminescence intensities of phosphors increase first and then decrease. 0.4 mol is found to be the optimal concentration. The fluorescence lifetime continues to decrease with the increase in the Li + doping content and a mutation occurs at 0.5 mol Li + . Phosphor doping with Li + can improve the thermal quenching resistance. The WLED device encapsulated with SAO-0.4Li and YAG:Ce 3+ phosphors prepared showed a correlated color temperature of 4667 K, a color rendering index of 82, and a light efficiency of 137.34 lm W -1 at a driving current of 20 mA. The above results indicate that the use of a SAO-0.4Li + phosphor is expected for application in warm WLEDs.

Immunogenic cell death (ICD), as an unusual cell death pattern, mediates cancer cells to release a series of damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs), and is widely used in the field of cancer immunotherapy. Injuring the cell membrane can serve as a novel ICD initiation strategy. In this study, a peptide nanomedicine (PNpC) is designed using the fragment CM11 of cecropin, which is effective in disrupting cell membranes because of its α-helical structure. PNpC self-assembles in situ in the presence of high levels of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) on the tumor cell membrane, transforming from nanoparticles to nanofibers, which reduces the cellular internalization of the nanomedicine and increases the interaction between CM11 and tumor cell membranes. Both in vitro and in vivo results indicate that PNpC plays a significant role in killing tumor cells by triggering ICD. The ICD induced by the destruction of the cancer cell membrane is accompanied by the release of DAMPs, which promotes the maturation of DCs and facilitates the presentation of tumor-associated antigens (TAA), resulting in the infiltration of CD8 + T cells. We believe that PNpC can trigger ICD while killing cancer cells, providing a new reference for cancer immunotherapy.

This study investigated the molecular basis for differences in meat yield and quality between Duroc, Taoyuan black (TB), and Xiangcun black (XB) pigs. The results show that TB pigs have lower carcass weight, lean percentage, pH decline, and glycolytic potential but have higher fat percentage, water- holding capacity, intramuscular fat content, antioxidant capacity, and percentage of slow-twitch fibers than the Duroc pigs. Moreover, muscles of TB pigs have lower protein synthesis and lipolysis gene expression than the muscles of Duroc pigs. Targeted metabolome analysis indicates that 24 metabolites significantly differ among these three pig breeds. Correlation analysis suggests that L-malic acid and β-alanine contents in muscle are closely related to meat quality. These findings suggest that the excellent meat quality of TB pigs is closely related to muscle metabolism and fiber characteristics, while lower protein synthesis and lipolysis may contribute to less meat yield.

Chronic over-exposure to UV radiation leads to the damage of skin tissue. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of collagen peptide (CP) and antioxidant (astaxanthin, vitamin C (Vc), and vitamin E (Ve)) combinations on skin photoaging. Forty male UV-induced BALB/c mice were randomized and fed saline or CP and antioxidants for 7 weeks using gavage feeding. The results showed that oral administration of CP, CP combined with Vc and Ve (VCE) or Haematococcus pluvialis extract (HPE) significantly ( P < 0.05) reduced a* of mouse skin and increased the content of Hyp and type I collagen to varying degrees, thereby improving skin integrity. Furthermore, the combination of CP, HPE, and VCE showed increased upregulation of antioxidant enzyme expression, reduced serum ROS, and decreased inhibition of metalloproteinase expression compared to the other treatment groups. Thus, this combination showed better effects in inhibiting collagen degradation and maintaining the redox balance. The Nrf2/ARE and TGF-β/Smad transcription systems are likely involved in these effects. Therefore, the results suggest that a diet containing CP, astaxanthin, and vitamins might be recommended to improve skin health and appearance.

Gadolinium (Gd)-based contrast agents (CAs) for clinical magnetic resonance imaging are facing the problems of low longitudinal relaxivity ( r 1 ) and toxicity caused by gadolinium deposition. Manganese-based small molecule complexes and manganese oxide nanoparticles (MONs) are considered as potential alternatives to Gd-based CAs due to their better biocompatibility, but their relatively low r 1 values and complicated synthesis routes slow down their clinical translation. Herein, we presented a facile one-step co-precipitation method to prepare MONs using poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) as a coating agent (MnO 2 /PAA NPs), which exhibited good biocompatibility and high r 1 values. A series of MnO 2 /PAA NPs with different particle sizes were prepared and the relationship between the particle size and r 1 was studied, revealing that the MnO 2 /PAA NPs with a particle size of 4.9 nm exhibited higher r 1 . The finally obtained MnO 2 /PAA NPs had a high r 1 value (29.0 Mn mM -1 s -1 ) and a low r 2 / r 1 ratio (1.8) at 1.5 T, resulting in a strong T 1 contrast enhancement. In vivo magnetic resonance angiography with Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats further proved that the MnO 2 /PAA NPs showed better angiographic performance at low-dosage administration than commercial Gadovist® (Gd-DO3A-Butrol). Moreover, the MnO 2 /PAA NPs could be rapidly cleared out after imaging, which effectively minimized the toxic side effects. The MnO 2 /PAA NPs are promising candidates for MR imaging of vascular diseases.

Bimodal imaging probes that combine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and photoluminescence imaging are quite appealing since they can supply both anatomical and molecular information to effectively ameliorate the accuracy of detection. In this study, an activatable nanoprobe, [Eu(BTD) 3 (DPBT)]@MnO 2 , for bimodal time-gated luminescence imaging (TGLI) and MRI has been constructed by anchoring visible-light-excitable Eu 3+ complexes on lamellar MnO 2 nanosheets. Due to the luminescence quenching effect and non-magnetic resonance (MR) activity of MnO 2 nanosheets, the developed nanoprobe presents quite weak TGL and MR signals. After exposure to H 2 O 2 or GSH, accompanied by the transformation from MnO 2 to Mn 2+ , the nanoprobe exhibits rapid, sensitive, and selective "turn-on" responses towards GSH and H 2 O 2 in TGL and MR detection modes. Furthermore, the nanoprobe displays high stability, low cytotoxicity, good biocompatibility and water dispersion. Given the high contents of GSH and H 2 O 2 in cancer cells, the nanoprobe was used for the identification of cancer cells by TGLI of intracellular GSH and H 2 O 2 , as well as for the tracing of tumor cells in tumor-bearing mice by tumor-targeting in vivo MRI and TGLI of tumor tissues. The research outcomes proved the potential of [Eu(BTD) 3 (DPBT)]@MnO 2 as a useful nanoprobe for the tracing and accurate detection of cancer cells in vitro and in vivo via bimodal TGLI and MRI.

The synergy of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and time-gated luminescence imaging (TGLI) provides a robust platform with extensive spatial resolution (from submicrometer to hundred-micron) and unlimited penetration depth for visual detection of lesion tissues and target biomolecules. In this work, highly stable lanthanide (Eu 3+ and Gd 3+ ) complexes with a terpyridine polyacid ligand, CNSTTA-Ln 3+ , were chosen as signal reporters for TGLI (Ln 3+ = Eu 3+ ) and MRI (Ln 3+ = Gd 3+ ), respectively. After conjugating CNSTTA-Ln 3+ with a tumor-targetable glycoprotein, transferrin (Tf), the obtained bioconjugate, showed low cytotoxicity and high stability and exhibited strong long-lived luminescence (Tf-CNSTTA-Eu 3+ , ϕ = 10.8%, τ = 1.27 ms), high magnetic resonance relaxivity (Tf-CNSTTA-Gd 3+ , r 1 = 8.70 mM -1 s -1 , r 2 = 10.90 mM -1 s -1 ), and high binding affinity toward Tf receptor-overexpressed cancerous cells. On the basis of these features, a tumor-targetable probe was constructed by simply mixing Tf-CNSTTA-Eu 3+ and Tf-CNSTTA-Gd 3+ , and successfully used for the bimodal TGLI and MRI of tumor cells in tumor-bearing mice. The bimodal imaging simultaneously provided the anatomical and molecular information of the tumor, which enabled the accuracy for tumor diagnosis to be mutually verified, and revealed the potential of Tf-CNSTTA-Gd 3+ /Eu 3+ for the monitoring of cancer cells in vivo .

Two aromatic oligoamides, the 8-residue H8 and 16-residue H16, that adopt stable, cavity-containing helical conformations were examined for their complexation of a rodlike dicationic guest, octyl viologen (OV 2+ ) and para -bis(trimethylammonium)benzene (TB 2+ ). Studies based on 1D and 2D 1 H NMR, isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC), and X-ray crystallography demonstrated that H8 and H16 wraps around two OV 2+ ions as a double helix and a single helix, respectively, resulting in 2 : 2 and 1 : 2 complexes. Compared to H8, the longer H16 binds the OV 2+ ions with much higher binding affinity and with extraordinary negative cooperativity. In contrast to its 1 : 2 binding with OV 2+ , the binding of helix H16 with the bulkier guest TB 2+ shows a 1 : 1 ratio. Host H16 also selectively binds OV 2+ in the presence of TB 2+ . This novel host-guest system features pairwise placement of the otherwise strongly repulsive OV 2+ ions in the same cavity, strong negative cooperativity, and mutual adaptability of hosts and guests. The resultant complexes are highly stable [2]-, [3]-, and [4]pseudo-foldaxanes with few known precedents., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Stimulator of interferon genes (STING) agonism presents a powerful weapon for cancer immunotherapy. This study reports a novel dimerized STING agonist diBSP01, which exhibited promising STING binding and activation properties in vitro , based on the benzo[ b ]selenophene scaffold. Meanwhile, shielding the pharmacophores of diBSP01 with photoremovable protecting groups (PPGs) resulted in the generation of the first photoactivatable STING agonist, caged-diBSP01, that exerted no biological potency in the absence of light stimulation while regaining its STING agonistic activity after 400 nm irradiation. Optically controlled in vivo anticancer activity was also proven with caged-diBSP01 in a zebrafish xenograft model. Our study provides insights into developing novel STING agonists for cancer treatment and a solution for precise STING activation to avoid the on-target systemic inflammatory response responsible for normal cell damage caused by systemic STING agonism., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Clinical medicine is encountering the challenge of repairing soft-tissue defects. Currently, natural and synthetic materials have been developed as natural scaffolds. Among them, the decellularized extracellular matrix (d-ECM) can achieve tissue remodeling following injury and, thus, replace defects due to its advantages of the extensiveness of the source and excellent biological and mechanical properties. However, by analyzing the existing decellularization techniques, we found that different preparation methods directly affect the residual components of the d-ECM, and further have different effects on inflammation and regeneration of soft tissues. Therefore, we analyzed the role of different residual components of the d-ECM after decellularization. Then, we explored the inflammatory process and immune cells in an attempt to understand the mechanisms and causes of tissue degeneration and regeneration after transplantation. In this paper, we summarize the current studies related to updated protocols for the preparation of the d-ECM, biogenic and exogenous residual substances, inflammation, and immune cells influencing the fate of the d-ECM.

Heteroatom-doped porous carbon materials have been widely used as anode materials for Li-ion and Na-ion batteries, however, improving the specific capacity and long-term cycling stability of ion batteries remains a major challenge. Here, we report a facile based metal-organic framework (MOFs) strategy to synthesize nitrogen-doped porous carbon nanofibers (NCNFs) with a large number of interconnected channels that can increase the contact area between the material and the electrolyte, shorten the diffusion distance between Li + /Na + and the electrolyte, and relieve the volume expansion of the electrode material during cycling; the doping of nitrogen atoms can improve the conductivity and increase the active sites of the carbon material, can also affect the microstructure and electron distribution of the electrode material, thereby improving the electrochemical performance of the material. As expected, the obtained NCNFs-800 exhibited excellent electrochemical performance with high reversible capacity (for Li + battery anodes: 1237 mA h g -1 at 100 mA g -1 after 200 cycles, for Na + battery anodes: 323 mA h g -1 at 100 mA g -1 after 150 cycles) and long-term cycling stability (for Li + battery anodes: 635 mA h g -1 at 2 A g -1 after 5000 cycles, for Na + battery anodes: 194 mA h g -1 at 2 A g -1 after 5000 cycles)., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts for this work to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Diagnosis of sentinel lymph node (SLN) metastasis and its status are key parameters for predicting overall disease prognosis. In this work, Pluronic F127 stabilized ICG/tetra(4-carboxyphenyl)porphyrin-Mn(III) (TCPP(Mn)) nanoparticles (F127-ICG/Mn NPs) as fluorescent/magnetic resonance (FL/MR) dual-modality probes were prepared. The application of F127-ICG/Mn NPs in SLN imaging was mainly evaluated from two perspectives: the difference between the normal LN and the metastatic SLN and the difference between micrometastasis and macrometastasis. Normal and metastatic SLNs and micro- and macro-SLN metastasis were successfully distinguished through fluorescence and MR imaging with the help of F127-ICG/Mn NPs. In contrast, for the ICG group, the micro- and macro-SLN metastasis status could not be differentiated by fluorescence imaging. Besides, the lymph nodes can be stained green by the F127-ICG/Mn NPs and clearly visualized by the naked eye. In general, F127-ICG/Mn NPs demonstrated the potential of the preoperative diagnosis of SLN metastasis and its status, as well as intraoperative navigation by green-stained SLN and NIR FL imaging. This work provides a reference for developing multimodal nanoparticles for SLN metastasis diagnosis.

Chemical synthesis always plays an irreplaceable role in chemical, materials, and pharmacological fields. Meanwhile, artificial intelligence (AI) is causing a rapid technological revolution in many fields by replacing manual chemical synthesis and has exhibited a much more economical and time-efficient manner. However, the rate-determining step of AI-controlled synthesis systems is rarely mentioned, which makes it difficult to apply them in general laboratories. Here, the history of developing AI-aided synthesis has been overviewed and summarized. We propose that the hardware of AI-controlled synthesis systems should be more adaptive to execute reactions with different phase reagents and under different reaction conditions, and the software of AI-controlled synthesis systems should have richer kinds of reaction prediction modules. An updated system will better address more different kinds of syntheses. Our viewpoint could help scientists advance the revolution that combines AI and synthesis to achieve more progress in complicated systems., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Wormlike micelles are conventional aggregates that exist in viscoelastic solutions. However, to achieve a solution with prominent viscoelasticity, rather high concentrations of surfactants are usually required due to the flexibility of aggregates in solution. If thread-like aggregates with rigidity can be formed by surfactants, the solutions are expected to show strong viscoelasticity at very low surfactant concentrations. Herein, A novel rosin-based quaternary ammonium surfactant with two head groups (abbreviated as R-11-3-DA) was synthesized. Cryogenic transmission electron microscopy (Cryo-TEM) images showed that flexible nanofibers with diameters of about 7-8 nm and lengths of over 1 μm were formed in the 1 : 1.5 R-11-3-DA : SL solutions. The rigidity of the aggregates seems to be inherited from the rigidity of the surfactant molecules. The novel aggregates endow the solutions with remarkable viscoelasticity at very low concentrations, with a critical overlap concentration of 0.01 wt% and a critical gelling concentration of 0.58 wt%. The rheological behavior of the solutions also shows excellent shear resistance and weak sensitivity to temperature below the critical gelation temperature ( T gel ). This work reveals the advantages of viscoelastic solutions containing flexible nanofibers. The design principles of new molecular structures and system compositions can be applied to the preparation of smart soft materials based on the self-assembly of molecules.

Joint skin wounds are difficult to treat because of the frequent large motion of these active wounds; thus, dressings capable of simultaneous real-time monitoring of joint motion and promoting joint wound healing are highly needed. Herein, inspired by the aligned wrinkling microstructure and sensing functions of normal joint skins, we combine the electrospinning technique with a water-induced self-assembly approach to prepare bioinspired conductive dressings with aligned wrinkles for achieving the above-mentioned bifunctions. The results indicate that both the wavelength and height of the bioinspired aligned wrinkles can be facilely tuned by adjusting the thickness ratio of the two layers and the loading amount of conductive microparticles. Owing to the unique aligned wrinkling structure and good conductivity, the bioinspired dressing can monitor the donor student's diverse joint motions. Interestingly, the dressing can also accurately monitor different types of mouse neck motion, including up/down and left/right movements. The in vivo wound repairing results confirm that the bioinspired dressing can accelerate the healing of active wounds on the mouse neck by promoting collagen deposition, hair follicle regeneration, and epithelialization. The bioinspired dressing with the integration of real-time motion monitoring features and wound repairing functions will open a new avenue to improve the management of joint wounds.

Mitochondrial function is closely related to the body's oxidative stress level and lifespan. Our previous research demonstrated that the combination of blueberry extracts (BE) and apple peel extracts (APE) could synergistically promote the oxidative stress and lifespan of Caenorhabditis elegans ( C. elegans ). The purpose of this study was to determine whether the improvement of the oxidative stress and lifespan is involved in the regulation of mitochondrial function, and to explore its potential mechanisms. A model of nematode mitochondrial dysfunction was established using RNAi technology. The results showed that supplementation with BE plus APE could prolong the lifespan of RNAi( mev-1 ) C. elegans , and improve mitochondrial function, while there was no significant effect on RNAi( isp-1 ) C. elegans . In addition, treatment with BE plus APE could down-regulate the overexpression of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in clk-1 ( e2519 ) mutants. Meanwhile, administration with BE plus APE abolished the extension of the lifespan of clk-1 ( e2519 ) mutants, and inhibited the expression of clk-1 downstream genes, including mev-1 , isp-1 , nuo-2 , cco-1 , cyc-1 and atp-3 , thereby regulating the function of the mitochondrial respiratory chain and improving its oxidative stress ability to prolong the lifespan of nematodes. In short, the combination of BE and APE could improve the oxidative stress and extend the lifespan of nematodes via regulating mitochondrial function. This study provided a theoretical basis for exploring the role of mitochondrial function in regulating the body's oxidative stress level and aging process.

Electrochemical nitrogen fixation under ambient conditions is promising for sustainable ammonia production but is hampered by high reaction barrier and strong competition from hydrogen evolution, leading to low specificity and faradaic efficiency with existing catalysts. Here we describe the activation of MoS 2 in molten sodium that leads to simultaneous formation of a sulfur vacancy-rich heterostructured 1T/2H-MoS x monolayer via reduction and phase transformation. The resultant catalyst exhibits intrinsic activities for electrocatalytic N 2 -to-NH 3 conversion, delivering a faradaic efficiency of 20.5% and an average NH 3 rate of 93.2 μg h -1 mg cat -1 . The interfacial heterojunctions with sulfur vacancies function synergistically to increase electron localization for locking up nitrogen and suppressing proton recombination. The 1T phase facilitates H-OH dissociation, with S serving as H-shuttling sites and to stabilize . The subsequently couple with nearby N 2 and NH x intermediates bound at Mo sites, thus greatly promoting the activity of the catalyst. First-principles calculations revealed that the heterojunction with sulfur vacancies effectively lowered the energy barrier in the potential-determining step for nitrogen reduction, and, in combination with operando spectroscopic analysis, validated the associative electrochemical nitrogen reduction pathway. This work provides new insights on manipulating chalcogenide vacancies and phase junctions for preparing monolayered MoS 2 with unique catalytic properties., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interests., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

The first water-soluble B-ring-indole-substituted flavonol-based cysteine (Cys) fluorescent probe, MICA (2-(1-methyl-1 H -indol-3-yl)-4-oxo-4 H -chromen-3-yl-acrylate), was developed, which simultaneously serves as a precursor of photoCORM. In PBS buffer (only 15% DMF), MICA can perform rapid (330 s), highly chemoselective (particularly for homocysteine and glutathione) and sensitive (limit of detection: 92 nM) sensing and visualization of exogenous and endogenous Cys in live HeLa cells and zebrafish over a wide linear concentration range (0-12 μM/2.4 equiv.). The fluorophore HMIC (3-hydroxy-2-(1-methyl-1 H -indol-3-yl)-4 H -chromen-4-one), actuated and quantitatively generated via the sensing reaction of the precursor MICA with Cys, was designed as a photoCORM. By modulating the light illumination intensity or illumination duration or photoCORM dosage, HMIC can provide precisely controlled quantitative and linear CO gas by visible light illumination in aerobic environments. For live HeLa cells, MICA and all reaction products showed low toxicity (over 85% cell viability versus 10 μM analyst) and efficient cellular uptake. In live HeLa cells and zebrafish, both exogenous and endogenous Cys can be visualized by MICA, and the location and CO liberation process of the generated HMIC can be tracked in real time through its fluorescence. Substitution of the B-ring of 3-hydroxy-flavone (3-FL) by indole results in a 52 nm absorption red-shift vs. 3-FL. Our work is the first water-soluble B-ring-indole-substituted flavonol-based fluorescent probe that efficaciously detects and visualizes exogenous and endogenous Cys both in vitro and in vivo , simultaneously serving as a precursor of photoCORM, actuated by Cys and triggered by visible light, releasing linear CO in aerobic environments. This work not only provides promising applications for the detection and visualization of exogenous and endogenous Cys, and spatiotemporally controllable CO liberation in live systems, but will also facilitate the development of handy molecular tools for clinical diagnosis and CO gas therapy.

Currently, the most commonly used clinical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agents, Gd(III) chelates, have been found to be associated with nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (NSF) in renally compromised patients. Toxicity concerns related to Gd(III)-based agents prompted intensive research toward the development of safe, efficient, and long-cycle non-Gd contrast agents. Herein, three amphiphilic polymeric manganese (Mn) ligands (mPEG 1k -P(L-a-HMDI)-mPEG 1k , mPEG 2k -P(L-a-HMDI)-mPEG 2k and mPEG 4k -P(L-a-HMDI)-mPEG 4k ) were synthesized, and then end-capped respectively with different molecular weights of polyethylene glycol monomethyl ether (mPEG 1 kD, 2 kD and 4 kD) to obtain amphiphilic polymer Mn ligands. After being chelated with Mn(II), these amphiphilic polymer Mn complexes show significantly higher T 1 relaxivity than the small molecule Mn complex (MnL) at 0.5 T, 1.5 T and 3.0 T magnetic fields, respectively. Then, mPEG 2k -P(MnL-a-HMDI)-mPEG 2k with relatively high T 1 relaxivities (23.2, 14.4 and 9.7 mM -1 s -1 at 0.5 T, 1.5 T and 3.0 T, respectively), low CMC (4.7 mg L -1 ), reasonable size (48 nm) and excellent stability among these three polymer Mn complexes was selected for in vivo MR imaging of vascular vessels. The results suggest that mPEG 2k -P(MnL-a-HMDI)-mPEG 2k has an excellent and relatively long time-window vascular enhancement effect even at a low dose of 0.05 mmol Mn kg -1 BW, and could play a role in the diagnosis of vascular diseases (0.1 mmol Mn kg -1 BW). Therefore, mPEG 2k -P(MnL-a-HMDI)-mPEG 2k may be considered as a potential blood pool contrast agent.

Electrochemical conversion of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide into value-added multi-carbon products (C 2 + ) offers a promising approach for artificial oxycarbide recycling. However, C 2 + productivity is still limited by gas accessibility inside the catalyst layer. Here, a Cu-PMMA porous hybrid architecture with rich triple-phase boundaries was demonstrated to enhance both gas diffusion and electron transfer, and then, facilitate the kinetics of CO electrolysis. As a result, a high C 2 + faradaic efficiency (FE) of 81.6% at a current density of 50 mA cm -2 and a maximum C 2 + partial current density of 140 mA cm -2 were achieved, among the best performances for Cu/hybrid catalysts. This study provides a novel strategy for designing electrochemical CO reduction (ECORR) catalysts and paves the way for further developing gas-involving electrocatalysis.

The water-gas shift reaction (WGSR) plays a pivotal role in many important industrial processes as well as in the elimination of residual CO in feed gas for fuel cells. The development of a high-efficiency low-temperature WGSR (LT-WGSR) catalyst has attracted considerable attention. Herein, we report a ZnO-modified Cu-based nanocatalyst (denoted as Cu@ZnO/Al 2 O 3 ) obtained via an in situ topological transformation from a Cu 2 Zn 1 Al-layered double hydroxide (Cu 2 Zn 1 Al-LDH) precursor at different reduction temperatures. The optimal Cu@ZnO/Al 2 O 3 -300R catalyst with appropriately abundant Cu@ZnO interface structure shows superior catalytic performance toward the LT-WGSR with a reaction rate of up to 19.47 μmol CO g cat -1 s -1 at 175 °C, which is ∼5 times larger than the commercial Cu/ZnO/Al 2 O 3 catalyst. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) proves that the reduction treatment results in the coverage of Cu nanoparticles by ZnO overlayers induced by a strong metal-support interaction (SMSI). Furthermore, the generation of the coating layers of ZnO structure is conducive to stabilize Cu nanoparticles, accounting for long-term stability under the reaction conditions and excellent start/stop cycle of the Cu@ZnO/Al 2 O 3 -300R catalyst. This study provides a high-efficiency and low-cost Cu-based catalyst for the LT-WGSR and gives a concrete example to help understand the role of Cu@ZnO interface structure in dominating the catalytic activity and stability toward WGSR., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

A novel multi-responsive surfactant (abbreviated as N + -8P8-N) was synthesized, in which one octyl trimethylamine group (quaternary ammonium) and one octyl dimethylamine group are connected to a benzene ring through ether bonds. This novel surfactant can stabilize conventional oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions alone, and O/W Pickering emulsions and novel oil-in-dispersion emulsions together with oppositely and similarly charged nanoparticles, respectively. In all cases rapid demulsification can be achieved through either pH or CO 2 /N 2 triggers, by which the surfactant is reversibly converted between a normal cationic surfactant form (N + -8P8-N) and a strongly hydrophilic and surface-inactive bola form (N + -8P8-NH + ). Notably, the bola form N + -8P8-NH + dissolves in the aqueous phase alone or together with nanoparticles after demulsification without contamination of the oil phase, and the aqueous phase can be recycled many times triggered by pH or CO 2 /N 2 in accordance with the principle of green chemistry. This newly designed re-usable smart surfactant is significant for the development of various temporarily stable emulsions, which are extensively applied in emulsion polymerization, new material synthesis, heterogeneous catalysis and oil transportation.

Controllable on-chip multimodal manipulation of micro-objects in microfluidic devices is urgently required for enhancing the efficiency of potential biomedical applications. However, fixed design and driving models make it difficult to achieve switchable multifunction efficiently in a single device. In this study, a versatile bubble-based acoustofluidic device is proposed for multimodal manipulation of micro-objects in a biocompatible manner. Identical bubbles trapped over the bottom microcavities are made to flexibly switch between four different oscillatory motions by varying the applied frequency to generate corresponding modes of streaming patterns in the microchannel. Such regular modes enable stable transportation, trapping, 3D rotation, and circular revolution of the micro-objects, which were experimentally and numerically verified. The mode-switchable manipulations can be noninvasively applied to particles, cells, and organisms with different sizes, shapes, and quantities and can be controlled by key driving parameters. Moreover, 3D cell reconstruction is developed by applying the out-of-plane rotational mode and analyzed for illustration of cell surface morphology while quantifying reliably basic cell properties. Finally, a simple platform is established to integrate user-friendly function control and reconstruction analysis. The mode-switchable acoustofluidic device features a versatile, controllable, and contactless micro-object manipulation method, which provides an efficient solution for biomedical applications.

The morphology and physicochemical properties of ordered molecular aggregates are closely related to surfactant molecules. Herein, a rosin-based amine oxide surfactant containing a large hydrophobic group (abbreviated R-10-AO) was synthesized from dehydroabietic acid, which is an important derivative of rosin. Cryogenic transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM) images and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) showed that at a concentration of ∼5 mM, R-10-AO molecules formed flexible nanobelts with a thickness of only 2-3 nm. The width of these nanobelts was 50-150 nm and the length was more than 1 μm. The formation of the stable nanobelts arose from the strong van der Waals forces of the bulky hydrophobic portions of R-10-AO in solution, facilitating the stability of the asymmetrical aggregates. Rheological tests showed that the formed nanobelts were thermodynamically stable. The entanglement of these nanobelts led to significant viscoelasticity of the solutions. The zero-shear viscosity ( η 0 ) of the R-10-AO solution reached 10 Pa s at a concentration of 5 mM, which is much greater than that of most wormlike micellar solutions. This work provides the inspirations of preparing aggregates with novel properties using natural products.

Nowadays, cancer is one of the most serious diseases threatening the health of human beings, and imaging-guided photothermal therapy (PTT) is rapidly emerging as a potent oncotherapy strategy due to its unique advantages of high efficiency, noninvasiveness, visualization, and accuracy. In this study, a multifunctional nanoplatform based on gadolinium ion chelated natural anthocyanins (ACNs) is reported, which can be used not only as an excellent photoacoustic/magnetic resonance (PA/MR) dual-modal contrast agent but also for imaging-guided tumor PTT. The nanoparticles obtained have a suitable size, good dispersity, and physiological stability. The excellent biocompatibility and remarkable photothermal effect of the nanoparticles in vitro were demonstrated by CCK-8 assays and co-staining experiments. Moreover, the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and photoacoustic imaging (PAI) results obtained in vivo showed that the nanoparticles were ideal dual-modal contrast agents whether given by intravenous or intratumoral injection. After intratumoral injection, the dual-modal PAI/MRI was used for determining the maximum diffusion time of the probe in the tumor site to guide laser treatment, achieving complete tumor elimination without normal tissue injury. Importantly, ACN is a natural compound extracted from black carrots, possessing native biocompatibility and biodegradability, which was further proved by the results of the detailed safety evaluation. Overall, the as-prepared nanoparticles displayed significant tumor diagnosis and treatment effects while mitigating biosafety concerns, and thus this was found to be a promising nanotherapeutic method for cancer treatment.

Obesity is an issue of great concern to people all over the world. It is accompanied by serious complications, leading to reduced quality of life and higher morbidity and mortality. Over the past few years, there has been an explosion in knowledge about the roles of potential therapeutic agents in obesity management. Among them, amino acid (AA) derivatives, such as taurine, glutathione (GSH), betaine, α-ketoglutarate (AKG), β-aminoisobutyric acid (BAIBA), and β-hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate (HMB), have recently gained popularity due to their beneficial effects on the promotion of weight loss and improvement in the lipid profile. The mechanisms of action of these derivatives mainly include inhibiting adipogenesis, increasing lipolysis, promoting brown/beige adipose tissue (BAT) development, and improving glucose metabolism. Therefore, this review summarizes these AA derivatives and the possible mechanisms responsible for their anti-obesity effects. Based on the current findings, these AA derivatives could be potential therapeutic agents for obesity and its related metabolic diseases.

Metastatic tumour recurrence caused by circulating tumour cells (CTCs) after surgery is responsible for more than 90% of tumour-related deaths. A postoperative evaluation system based on the long-term dynamic detection of CTCs helps in guiding the postoperative treatment of tumours in real time and preventing metastases and recurrence of tumours after treatment. In this study, a simple, rapid, and low-cost postoperative evaluation system was established based on the number of CTCs captured by a label-free acoustic separation device from whole blood samples of mice, of which breast tumours were surgically removed, and tumour metastasis was successfully predicted. First, an acoustofluidic device with a custom-designed bottom microcavity array was fabricated to induce highly localised acoustic microstreaming by applying acoustic vibration. Second, experiments of capturing 'defined' cells (artificially mixed individual 4T1 cancer cells into normal blood) based on optimal acoustic streaming were performed. The separation device exhibited a high capture efficiency (>96%). Further applications of capturing the 'true' CTCs derived from postoperative mice were successfully developed to predict tumour prognosis based on the number of captured CTCs. Finally, the prediction was verified through long-term observation of mice with excised tumours. The acoustofluidic device can efficiently capture CTCs and precisely predict tumour metastasis in a low-cost and non-invasive manner. This will help clinicians monitor patients that underwent surgical resection of tumours over a long period of time and facilitate optimal treatment strategies in a timely manner.

Grignard-type additions were readily achieved under the mediation of CuI (10 mol%) and samarium (2 equiv.) by employing various organohalides, e.g. benzyl, aryl, heterocyclic and aliphatic halides (Cl, Br or I), and diverse carbonyl compounds (e.g. carbonic esters, carboxylic esters, acid anhydrides, acyl chlorides, ketones, aldehydes, propylene epoxides and formamides) to afford alcohols, ketones and aldehydes, respectively, with high efficiency and chemoselectivity, in which the organosamarium intermediate might be involved.

Merging both C-H and C-C activation in a tandem process is a marked challenge. A novel Rh(iii)-catalyzed C-H activation/ring opening C-C cleavage/cyclization of carboxylic acids with cyclopropanols was developed for the synthesis of 3-substituted phthalides and α,β-butenolides. This reaction displays excellent functional group tolerance with respect to both carboxylic acids and cyclopropanols and features relatively mild conditions. Remarkably, the utility of this method was highlighted by the rapid construction of bioactive compounds bearing a 3-substituted phthalide framework via late-stage functionalization.

The mechanism underlying the strong adhesion between DNA with consecutive adenines (polyA) and Au nanoparticles (AuNPs) is experimentally and theoretically studied. We elucidate that the consecutive adenines collectively result in hydrophobic collapse in the adhesion process, which plays a pivotal role for the high adhesion affinity and specificity.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and optical imaging (OI) are attractive for constructing bimodal probes due to their complementary imaging characteristics. The combination of these two techniques could be a useful tool to simultaneously obtain both anatomical and molecular information as well as to significantly improve the accuracy of detection. In this study, we found that β-diketonate-lanthanide complexes, BHHBCB-Ln 3+ , could covalently bind to proteins to exhibit long-lived and intense luminescence (Ln 3+ = Eu 3+ , τ = 0.52 ms, Φ = 0.40) and remarkably high relaxivity (Ln 3+ = Gd 3+ , r 1 = 35.67 mM -1 s -1 , r 2 = 43.25 mM -1 s -1 ) with excellent water solubility, stability and biocompatibility. Hence, we conjugated BHHBCB-Ln 3+ with a tumor-targetable biomacromolecule, transferrin (Tf), to construct the probes, Tf-BHHBCB-Ln 3+ , for time-gated luminescence (TGL, Ln 3+ = Eu 3+ ) and MR (Ln 3+ = Gd 3+ ) imaging of cancerous cells in vitro and in vivo. As expected, the as-prepared probes showed high specificity to bind with the transferrin receptor-overexpressed cancerous cells, to enable the probe molecules to be accumulated in these cells. Using Tf-BHHBCB-Ln 3+ as probes, the cultured cancerous cells and the tumors in tumor-bearing mice have been clearly visualized by background-free TGL and in vivo MR imaging. The research outcomes suggested the potential of β-diketonate-lanthanide complexes for use in constructing bimodal TGL/MR imaging bioprobes.

Compared to the Haber-Bosch process, the electrochemical nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR) can convert N 2 into NH 3 under ambient conditions, and thus has attracted considerable attention in recent years. However, it remains a challenge to fabricate NRR catalysts with high faradaic efficiency and yield rate. In this work, by systematic first-principles calculations, we investigate the structure, stability and catalytic performance of single metal atoms anchored on porous monolayer C 9 N 4 (M@C 9 N 4 ) for the electrochemical NRR. A total of 25 transition metals (Sc-Zn, Zr-Mo, Ru-Ag, Hf-Au) were explored, and we screened out four promising systems, i.e., Nb, Ta, Re and W@C 9 N 4 , which not only exhibit high catalytic activity with low limiting potentials of -0.3, -0.42, -0.49 and -0.25 V, respectively, but also have superior selectivity that suppresses the competitive hydrogen evolution reaction. The physical origin lies in the coupling between the d orbitals of the transition metals and the 2π* orbital of N 2 , which activates the N 2 molecule and facilitates the reduction process. Our proposed systems are kinetically and thermodynamically stable, which may shed light on future design and fabrication of high-efficiency single atom catalysts for various technologically important chemical reactions.

Benzisothiazolinone has been widely used to control bacterial and fungal diseases in various agricultural crops by destroying the nuclear structure and interfering with the metabolism of microbial cells. In this study, the dissipation, transformation and sorption-desorption of benzisothiazolinone (BIT) in five soils were investigated to evaluate its environmental fate. Results showed that the degradation of BIT in all the tested soils fitted the first order kinetics and increased with soil organic matter (OM) content. Degradation differences between unsterilized natural and sterilized soils ( t 1/2 = 0.09-26.66 and 6.80-86.64 d) suggested that BIT degradation is primarily driven by biological processes and assisted by abiotic degradation. Additionally, BIT dissipated fastest in flooded soils ( t 1/2 = 0.20-4.53 d), indicating that anaerobic microorganisms are more likely to degrade BIT compared to aerobic microbes. Also, during the soil degradation process, two metabolites were monitored and identified for the first time. BIT sorption was a spontaneous physical process with no desorption hysteresis effect, which fit the Freundlich model. BIT causes relatively strong sorption (log  K OC = 3.76-4.19) and low persistence in soils, thus exhibiting a low potential risk for groundwater contamination., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

In this study, we investigated the use of nematode-infected Pinus massoniana chips (NPC) as the main ingredient in Pleurotus abieticola substrate. The effects of different substrate formulas on nutritional parameters, including total sugars, polysaccharides, proteins, lipids, amino acids, and fatty acids were assessed. The results indicated that NPC was suitable for P. abieticola cultivation. However, the addition of certain amounts of corncobs (CC) and cottonseed hulks (CH) improved the yield. Substrate T5 (45% NPC, 6% CC, and 27% CH) had the greatest yield (121.38 g per bag), 34.56% greater than the yield of the control (78% poplar chips), which was 79.43 g per bag. Across the 11 substrate formulas tested, the total sugar, polysaccharide, crude protein, and crude lipid contents were 16.60-28.90%, 2.71-3.73%, 36.49-45.42%, and 1.03-4.34%, respectively. On all substrates, the fruiting bodies contained 17 amino acids, primarily glutamine (2.42-4.11%), followed by proline (2.56-3.73%), leucine (2.09-3.19%), phenylalanine (1.56-2.61%), and glycine (1.76-2.55%). The fruiting bodies contained 12 fatty acids, of which linoleic acid was the most abundant (82.36%-84.03%), followed by palmitic acid (6.42%-6.89%) and oleic acid (5.50%-7.34%). The fatty acid content was closely associated with the NPC content, which might indicate that NPC promoted fatty acid accumulation. Thus, NPC represents a new substrate suitable for P. abieticola cultivation., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Developing novel graphene-based materials with unique mechanical properties is of significance to meet the requirements in new applications. The pristine graphene shows a brittle fracture when the stretching strain on it exceeds the critical value. Further, it fails to bear the external load. Herein, to enhance the ductility of the pristine graphene, we proposed a corrugated sandwich carbon network based on few-layered graphene, in which the two surface layers are bonded with several corrugated core layers via benzene molecules. The effects of factors such as the geometry, temperature, and strain rate on the ductility of the carbon network were evaluated using the uniaxial tension tests by molecular dynamics simulations. Results show that the new carbon material has more than one peak fracture strain in stretching. The second peak fracture strain is proportional to the length difference between the surface layers and core layers. Hence, the carbon network has a tunable ductility, which suggests a flexible design of such novel materials in a nanostructure/nanodevice with large deformation., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interests., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)