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Single-atom nanozymes (SANs) are the latest trend in biomaterials research and promote the application of single atoms in biological fields and the realization of protein catalysis in vivo with inorganic nanoparticles. Carbon quantum dots (CDs) have excellent biocompatibility and fluorescence properties as a substrate carrying a single atom. It is difficult to break through pure-phase single-atom materials with quantum dots as carriers. In addition, there is currently no related research in the single-atom field in the context of oral cancer, especially head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. This research developed a lipid surface-coated nanozyme combined with CDs, single-atomic gold, and modified lipid ligands (DSPE-PEG) with transferrin (Tf) to treat oral squamous cell carcinoma. The study results have demonstrated that surface-modified single-atom carbon quantum dots (m-SACDs) exhibit excellent therapeutic effects and enable in situ image tracking for diagnosing and treating head and neck squamous carcinoma (HNSCC).

Erbium (Er) complexes are used as optical gain materials for signal generation in the telecom C-band at 1540 nm, but they need a sensitizer to enhance absorption. Na + substitution for Ag + and Bi 3+ doping at the In 3+ site is a possible strategy to enhance the broadband emission of Cs 2 AgInCl 6 , which could be used as a sensitizer for energy transfer to rare-earth elements. Herein, self-trapped exciton (STE) energy transfer to Er 3+ at 1540 nm in double perovskite is reported. An acid precipitation method was used to synthesize Cs 2 AgInCl 6 and its derivatives with Er 3+ , Bi 3+ , and Na + . Bare Cs 2 AgInCl 6 :Er emission signals were found to be weak at 1540 nm, but Bi 3+ doping increased them by 12 times, and Bi 3+ and Na + doping increased signal intensity by up to 25 times. Electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy characterized a decrease in axial symmetry over the Er 3+ ions after the substitutions of Na + and Bi 3+ in Cs 2 AgInCl 6 at low temperatures (<7 K) for the first time. Moreover, an increase in pressure compressed the structure, which tuned the STE transition for free exciton emission, and a further increase in pressure distorted the cubic phase above 70 kbar.

Research in the field of nano-optics is advancing by leaps and bounds, among which near-infrared (NIR) light optics have attracted much attention. NIR light has a longer wavelength than visible light, such that it can avoid shielding caused by biological tissues. This advantage has driven its importance and practicality in human treatment applications and has attracted significant attention from researchers in academia and industry. In the broad spectrum of infrared light wavelengths, the most noticeable ones are the NIR biological window I of 700-900 nm and window II of 1000-1700 nm. Luminescent materials can effectively cover the NIR biological window with different doping strategies. These doped elements are mostly transition elements with multielectron orbitals. Several nanomaterials based on narrow-spectrum lanthanides have been developed to correspond to biological applications of different wavelengths. However, this review explicitly introduces the absorption and reflection/luminescence interactions between NIR light and biological tissues independently. Unlike the adjustment of the wavelength of the lanthanide series, this review analyzes the NIR optical properties of the fourth-period element ions in transition elements (such as Cr 3+ and Ni 2+ ). These elements have a broadband wavelength of NIR light emission and higher quantum efficiency, corresponding to the absorption and emission spectrum and photobiological absorption of different NIR windows for therapeutic diagnosis. Finally, this review lists and explores other broadband NIR phosphors and has tried to discover the possibility of non-invasive precision medicine in the future.

Cadmium-free quantum dots (QDs) are attracting considerable research attention because of their low toxicity. However, the bandgap of most cadmium-free QDs avoids the pure-blue region, which leads to difficulty in realizing pure-blue quantum-dot light-emitting diodes (QLEDs). In this work, we successfully tuned the emission wavelength of ZnSe/ZnS quantum dots from the violet region (∼420 nm) to the pure-blue region (450-460 nm) by doping Te into the ZnSe core. The ZnSe:0.03Te/ZnSeS/ZnS QD sample with emission at 450 nm and a quantum yield of 30% was the most balanced formula. To overcome the energy gap between the hole-transfer layer and QD layers, a specific hole-transfer layer was developed for normal-structure QLEDs. A QLED with such a structure with ZnSe:0.03Te/ZnSeS/ZnS QDs achieved the pure-blue light emission at 455 nm, a low turn-on voltage of 4.4 V, and an external quantum efficiency of 0.33%. Overall, our cadmium-free QLED achieved pure-blue emission, revealing the potential of ZnSe-based pure-blue QLEDs for future displays.

Herein, ruthenium (Ru) nanoparticles were anchored on carbon nanotubes (Ru/CNTs) functionalized as catalyst cathodes for non-aqueous Li-CO 2 cells. For cycling tests through a low cut-off capacity (100 mA h g -1 ), the origin of battery deterioration resulted from the accumulation of Li 2 CO 3 discharging products on catalytic surfaces, identical to the observations in previous studies. However, the Li-CO 2 cells in this work showed a sudden death within several cycles of high cut-off capacity (500 mA h g -1 ), and no Li 2 CO 3 residues were investigated on the cathode. In contrast, Li dendrites and passivation materials (LiOH and Li 2 CO 3 ) were generated on Li anodes upon cycling at a limited capacity of 500 mA h g -1 , which dominantly contributed to the battery degradation. A Li foil-replacement method was adopted to make the Ru/CNT cathode perform continuous 100 cycles under a cut-off capacity of 500 mA h g -1 . These results indicate that not only Li 2 CO 3 residues blocked on the active sites of the cathode but also Li dendrites and passivation materials produced on the anode caused Li-CO 2 battery deterioration. Moreover, in the present work, a carbon thin film was deposited on Li metal (C/Li) by a sputtering system for suppressing the dendrite formation upon cycling and promoting the defense of the H 2 O attack from the electrolyte disintegration. The Li-CO 2 cell with a Ru/CNT catalyst and a C/Li anode revealed an improved electrochemical stability of 115 cycles at a limited capacity of 500 mA h g -1 . This proto strategy provided a significant research direction focusing on Li anodes for elevating the Li-CO 2 battery durability.

Surface defects and synthesis methods play important roles in the photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY), stability, and the device performance of lead halide perovskite quantum dots (PQDs). In this study, we report a quadruple-ligand (tri-n-octylphosphine, didodecyldimethylammonium bromide, tetraoctylammonium bromide, and oleic acid) assisted room-temperature method for synthesizing CsPbBr 3 QDs (RT-CsPbBr 3 ) with an absolute PLQY of 83%. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirms the high completeness of the Pb-Br octahedron through the absence of lead ions and presence of more bromide ions on the surface of RT-CsPbBr 3 QDs. The exciton dynamics of RT-CsPbBr 3 QDs is studied by using femtosecond transient absorption, time-resolved PL, and single-dot spectroscopy, which provide strong evidence of the suppression of trion formation compared with the hot injection-synthesized CsPbBr 3 (HI-CsPbBr 3 ) QDs. The white light-emitting diode (LED) fabricated with RT-CsPbBr 3 PQDs and a K 2 SiF 6 :Mn 4+ phosphor for backlight applications achieved a wide color gamut of 124% of the National Television System Committee (NTSC) standard.

Quantum dots (QDs) have extensive application prospects in the fields of optics, magnetism, catalysis, and biomedicine. New carbon-doped QDs are currently being used in these research fields. Graphitic carbon nitride QDs (g-CNs) composed of only carbon and nitrogen have attracted attention because of their unique optical and catalytic properties. g-CNs have numerous electronic properties and can be used as photocatalytic modifiers in a wide range of applications in electrochemistry. Additionally, g-CNs also have biological potential and due to their chemical composition have extremely low toxicity; their blue light emission can be applied to biological imaging, and their appropriate energy level (2.7 eV) allows electrons to be deposited on their surface, which allows g-CNs to be used as photosensitizers in optical therapy. Finally, g-CNs can be combined with other nanomaterials to form composite materials, which can result in new advantages not seen in either of the materials alone. In this manuscript, we thoroughly report the most recent findings regarding the synthesis of g-CNs and their respective properties. We report the advantages of g-CNs conferred by their unique properties and their advantages for application in current biology and medicines.

Malignant tumors are currently the leading cause of death worldwide, followed by cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Although various methods, such as blood examination, tissue biopsy, and radiography, for tumor detection, exist, these techniques still require further refinement. Researchers have recently explored the use of novel adjuvant methods, specifically luminescence imaging detection, for the detection of tumors. The light-triggered approach is less invasive and induces fewer side effects than traditional detection methods. This paper highlights recent advances in the design, property tuning, and applications of nanoparticles that exhibit upconversion under 808 nm excitation. When doped with neodymium ions, upconverted nanoparticles gain the ability to absorb 808 nm light. The advantageous unique features of 808 nm light include deep tissue penetration and limited thermal side effects. The 808 nm-excited upconverted nanoparticles exhibit superior potential for use in biosensing, bioimaging, therapy, and three-dimensional display. Thus, innovative theranostic nanoplatforms can be developed by incorporating 808 nm-excited upconverted nanoparticles with phototherapy agents. Such a composite technique is expected to possess the individual advantages of each material.

This study reports the successful synthesis of ternary spinel-based ZnCo2O4 nanoflakes (NFs) with mesoporous architectures via the combination of a urea-assisted hydrothermal reaction with calcination in an air atmosphere. Owing to their favorable mesostructures and desirable bifunctional oxygen reduction and evolution activities, the resulting mesoporous ZnCo2O4 NFs yielded stable cyclability at a cut-off capacity of 500 mA h gcarbon(-1) in the case of aprotic Li-O2 batteries.

This work demonstrates a simple route for synthesizing multi-functional fluorescent nanodiamond-gold/silver nanoparticles. The fluorescent nanodiamond is formed by the surface passivation of poly(ethylene glycol) bis(3-aminopropyl) terminated. Urchin-like gold/silver nanoparticles can be obtained via one-pot synthesis, and combined with each other via further thiolation of nanodiamond. The morphology of the nanodiamond-gold/silver nanoparticles thus formed was identified herein by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, and clarified using diffraction patterns. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy clearly revealed the surface functionalization of the nanoparticles. The fluorescence of the materials with high photo stability was examined by high power laser irradiation and long-term storage at room temperature. To develop the bio-recognition of fluorescent nanodiamond-gold/silver nanoparticles, pre-modified transferrin was conjugated with the gold/silver nanoparticles, and the specificity and activity were confirmed in vitro using human hepatoma cell line (J5). The cellular uptake analysis that was conducted using flow cytometry and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry exhibited that twice as many transferrin-modified nanoparticles as bare nanoparticles were engulfed, revealing the targeting and ease of internalization of the human hepatoma cell. Additionally, the in situ monitoring of photothermal therapeutic behavior reveals that the nanodiamond-gold/silver nanoparticles conjugated with transferrin was more therapeutic than the bare nanodiamond-gold/silver materials, even when exposed to a less energetic laser source. Ultimately, this multi-functional material has great potential for application in simple synthesis. It is non-cytotoxic, supports long-term tracing and can be used in highly efficient photothermal therapy against cancer cells.

With the advancements in nanotechnology, studies on the synthesis, modification, application, and toxicology evaluation of nanomaterials are gaining increased attention. In particular, the applications of nanomaterials in biological systems are attracting considerable interest because of their unique, tunable, and versatile physicochemical properties. Artificially engineered nanomaterials can be well controlled for appropriate usage, and the tuned physicochemical properties directly influence the interactions between nanomaterials and cells. This review summarizes recently synthesized major nanomaterials that have potential biomedical applications. Focus is given on the interactions, including cellular uptake, intracellular trafficking, and toxic response, while changing the physicochemical properties of versatile materials. The importance of physicochemical properties such as the size, shape, and surface modifications of the nanomaterials in their biological effects is also highlighted in detail. The challenges of recent studies and future prospects are presented as well. This review benefits relatively new researchers in this area and gives them a systematic overview of nano-bio interaction, hopefully for further experimental design.

A series of rutile-type (Ti,Sn)O2 solid solutions with nanorod architecture were successfully synthesized in this study by varying their calcination temperatures of tin-modified titanium dioxide (Sn/TiO2) nanocomposites under a nitrogen atmosphere. During the delithiation process, the (Ti,Sn)O2 nanorods obtained at 500 °C delivered a specific capacity of about 300 mA h g(-1) and showed minimal capacity fading even at a high current density of 3 A g(-1).