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A new strategy of thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) material-sensitized circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) has been proposed for improving the efficiencies of fluorescent circularly polarized organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) (CP-OLEDs). Consequently, a pair of helicene enantiomers, (P)-HAI and (M)-HAI, were synthesized. The helicene enantiomers with the rigid helical π-skeleton had highly thermal and enantiomeric stabilities, and they also showed excellent photophysical properties, especially, intense mirror-image CPL activities with large luminescence dissymmetry factor (|glum|) values of about 6 × 10−3. Notably, the CP-OLEDs with the helicene enantiomers as emitters and a TADF molecule as sensitizer not only displayed better performance of lower turn-on voltage (VT) of 2.6 V, four-fold maxmium-external quantum efficiency (EQEmax) of 5.3%, and lower efficiencies roll-off of 1.9% at 1000 cd m−2, than those of the devices without TADF sensitizer, but also exhibited intense circularly polarized electroluminescence (CPEL) with the electroluminescence dissymmetry factor (gEL) values of −2.3 × 10−3 and +3.0 × 10−3. Meanwhile, this study also represents the first thermally activated sensitized fluorescent CP-OLEDs with markedly enhanced efficiencies and intense CPEL.

Sign inversions of circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) for the hydro[5]helicene and [5]helicene derivatives were discovered and studied experimentally and theoretically. The inverted CPL signs from the hydro[5]helicene to [5]helicene derivatives were realized by one-step oxidation. The introduction of triphenylamine (TPA) subunits into the helical skeletons also led to the sign inversion of CPL only when there existed an enhanced intramolecular charge-transfer state with a small enough Egap.

In physiological processes, hypochlorous acid can regulate in vitro signaling molecules as one kind of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Serious diseases, such as cardiovascular disorders, neurodegene...

Background: Glioma is the most common primary malignant tumor in the central nervous system. Because of the resistance of glioma to chemoradiotherapy and its aggressive growth, the survival rate of patients with glioma has not improved. This study aimed to disclose the effect of retinol dehydrogenase 10 (RDH10) on the migration and invasion of glioma cells, and to explore the potential mechanism. Methods: Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to determine the expression levels of RDH10 in healthy glial cells and glioma cells. Human glioma cell strains, U87 and U251, were infected with negative control or RDH10-interfering lentiviruses. RT-PCR and Western blotting were performed to determine the knockdown efficiency. Scratch and transwell assays were used to assess cell migration and invasion after RDH10 knockdown. Finally, changes in transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β)/SMAD signaling pathway-related expression were examined by Western blotting. Differences between groups were analyzed by one-way analysis of variance. Results: RDH10 was highly expressed in glioma cells. Compared with the control group, RDH10 knockdown significantly reduced RDH10 messenger RNA and protein expression levels in U87 and U251 glioma cells (U87: 1.00 ± 0.08 vs. 0.22 ± 0.02, t= 16.55, P < 0.001; U251: 1.00 ± 0.17 vs. 0.39 ± 0.01, t= 6.30, P < 0.001). The scratch assay indicated that compared with the control group, RDH10 knockdown significantly inhibited the migration of glioma cells (U87: 1.00% ± 0.04% vs. 2.00% ± 0.25%, t= 6.08, P < 0.01; U251: 1.00% ± 0.11% vs. 2.48% ± 0.31%, t= 5.79, P < 0.01). Furthermore, RDH10 knockdown significantly inhibited the invasive capacity of glioma cells (U87: 97.30 ± 7.01 vs. 13.70 ± 0.58, t = 20.36, P < 0.001; U251: 96.20 ± 7.10 vs. 18.30 ± 2.08, t = 18.51, P < 0.001). Finally, Western blotting demonstrated that compared with the control group, downregulation of RDH10 significantly inhibited TGF-β expression, phosphorylated SMAD2, and phosphorylated SMAD3 (TGF-β: 1.00 ± 0.10 vs. 0.53 ± 0.06, t= 7.05, P < 0.01; phosphorylated SMAD2: 1.00 ± 0.20 vs. 0.42 ± 0.17, t= 4.01, P < 0.01; phosphorylated SMAD3: 1.00 ± 0.18 vs. 0.41 ± 0.12, t= 4.12, P < 0.01). Conclusion: RDH10 knockdown might inhibit metastasis of glioma cells via the TGF-β/SMAD signaling pathway. Key words: Retinol dehydrogenase; Metastasis; Glioma; RNA; Lentivirus

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is a kind of gaseous signal molecule in many physiological processes. In order to detect H2S, a novel “turn on” fluorescent probe 6,12-dihydroxyperylene-1,7-dione (DPD) was designed and synthesized. The probe DPD is fluorescence silence, while the addition of H2S induces an obvious green fluorescence with an obvious color change from dark blue to yellow-green. The probe shows excellent selectivity, fast response (2.5 min) and linear curve (0–90 μM) in wide effective pH range (4–10). Competition experiments are also revealed in corresponding studies and the detection limit is 3.6 μM. The response mechanism is proved to be the reduction of the probe by H2S, which is confirmed by 1H NMR. Furthermore, through the fluorescence turn-on signal toward H2S in Hela cells, probe DPD was successfully applied to monitor H2S in living Hela cells.

Stimuli responsive luminescent materials have attracted increasing attention for their potential application in many fields. In this work, dimethylamine substituted bisbenzocoumarins amides (DBCE and DBCP) are synthesized and their optical properties are investigated. These molecules show solvatochromic properties. The orange fluorescence emission of DBCE in crystalline state is blue-shifted to yellow emission upon grinding. The orange color could be recovered by recrystallization process. Powder wide-angle X-ray diffraction and DSC experiments reveal that the transformation from crystalline states to amorphous states under external stimuli is responsible for the mechanochromic properties. This work developed a new kind of binaphthane-type luminescent materials with blue-shifted mechanochromic properties.

A thiophene-rhodamine dyad (BYY) was easily synthesized as a fluorescence probe from 2-thiopheneacetic acid and N-(rhodamine-B)lactam-ethylenediamine. The probe showed high response speed and sensitivity toward Fe3+ in ethanol/water (2/3, v/v, pH = 7.2), and the limit of detection was as low as 10−7 M. From the Job's plot, mass spectrum, 1H NMR spectra and the theoretical calculation, the 1:2 complex ratio of Fe3+-probe was obtained and the response mechanism was determined. Significantly, the reversible binding of BYY to Fe3+ was achieved through the strong Fe3+ affinity of Na4P2O7, and the probe showed well antijamming abilities in the presence of common metal ions. Moreover, the probe was cell-permeable and could sensitively response to Fe3+ in living cells with satisfying resolution.

A new fluorescent probe tetrahydro[5]helicene-malononitrile derivative was designed and synthesized for selective detection of bisulfite. This fluorescent probe exhibites high response speed and selectivity toward HSO3− in PBS solution over other coexisting species accompanied by a distinct fluorescence color change from yellow to blue, which can be visually identified. The probe shows excellent sensitivity to HSO3− and the detection limit is as low as 0.27 μM. Once reacted with HSO3−, the signal-to-background ratio of fluorescence intensity can reach a 45-folds enhancement and the quantum yield dramatically increases from 1.9% to 52.3%. The response mechanism proved to be a nucleophilic addition reaction of probe with HSO3−, which was confirmed by 1H NMR, Mass titration and theory calculation. Additionally, the preliminary cell imaging experiments demonstrated that the probe could be used for intracellular bisulfite detection.

A new fluorescent probe based on coumarin conjugate has been synthesized which shows high quantum yield because of strong ICT effect. The absorption and fluorescence spectra of probe were measured in a variety of solvents and the Stokes shifts were found to be in linear relationship with the orientation polarizability of the solvents. The fluorescence intensity of probe decreased with a rise in water content which could be an effective fluorescence water sensor in organic solvents. Moreover, the probe presents a highly linear ratiometric fluorescence response to water content under the excitation of ultraviolet light. The detection results by the ratiometric fluorescence probe are in good agreement with that by the well-established standard Karl Fischer method. This ratiometric fluorescent probe provides another accessible tool for the quantitative determination of water content and may replace the Karl Fischer method for specific applications.

Organic fluorescent molecules with π-conjugated system have shown great importance in numerous applications including bioimaging and optoelectronics. Planar aggregation-induced emissive (AIE) organic compounds with efficient solid-state luminescence are rarely developed and urgently needed in various applications. In this work, highly planar 4-styrylbenzonitrile derivatives have been synthesized. Most of these compounds show strong AIE properties with hundred-fold fluorescent enhancement. Moreover, these molecules are deep blue emissive in solid state, exhibiting good to excellent fluorescence quantum efficiency. The single crystal analysis shows that adjacent molecules could form special J-type aggregation. The intramolecular rotations are efficiently restricted by various noncovalent interactions. These molecular arrangements could be essential for the observed strong emission in aggregated and solid state. This work has paved a new path to efficient AIE-active organic emitters with highly planar conformations from 4-styrylbenzonitrile structure.

Studies have shown that changes in the redox state of cells might be closely related to pathological and physiological processes. Sulfur dioxide and hydrogen peroxide, as a significant redox couple in living cells, are endogenously produced by cells. Here, we report a long-wavelength fluorescent probe to reversibly monitor sulfur dioxide and hydrogen peroxide. This probe (NBD) displayed high selectivity and sensitivity, which could be accumulated in mitochondria for real-time imaging of SO2/H2O2. These results indicated that NBD would be an ideal tool for monitoring the redox cycle state in living cells.

Stimuli-responsive luminescent materials have attracted considerable attention in recent years because of their potential application in various fields. In this work, dimethylamine substituted bisbenzocoumarin (DB-Cn) derivatives are synthesized and their optical properties are investigated. These molecules show solvatochromic and mechanochromic properties. Powder wide-angle X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry curves reveal that the initial crystalline states are transformed to amorphous states under various external stimuli. Single crystal X-ray analysis of DB-C2 reveals that the destruction of the crystal conformation and the changes of intermolecular π–π stacking interactions could be responsible for the red-shifted emission. Further investigation revealed that DB-C2 showed acidochromic properties and could be utilized as a security ink. The control 1H NMR experiment reveals that the protonation of the aromatic amines is essential for the acidochromic properties. This work provides information on the mechanism study of stimuli-responsive luminescence properties of binaphthalene-type luminescent materials and expands the potential application of these materials.

An easily available novel fluorescent probe has been synthesized by reacting rhodamine hydrazide and 2-(thiophen-2-yl)acetyl chloride. Upon mixed with Fe 3+ in aqueous solution, the dramatic enhancement of fluorescence intensity as well as the color change of the solution were observed. Significantly, the probe displayed highly selective and sensitive recognition ability toward Fe 3+ with a limit of detection (LOD) down to 10 −7 M. The Job’s plot indicated the formation of 1:1 complex between the probe and Fe 3+ , and the complexation stability constant can be calculated as 2.95 × 10 4 M −1 . The presence of common coexisting alkali, alkaline earth, and transition metal ions showed small or no interference to the detection of Fe 3+ . All these unique features make it particularly favorable for cellular Fe 3+ imaging applications. The confocal fluorescent images demonstrated that the probe was cell-permeable and could be used for highly sensitive monitoring of Fe 3+ levels in living cells with satisfying resolution.

A novel visible light excitable chemosensor based on a rhodamine 6G naphthylurea conjugate was successfully synthesized, which shows highly selective and sensitive recognition ability toward H2PO4− in H2O-CH3CN (1/1, v/v). In response to H2PO4−, the probe provided remarkable fluorescence intensity change and clear color change from colorless to pink and the background anions showed small or no interference. The confocal fluorescent images demonstrated that the probe was cell-permeable and could effectively detect intracellular dihydrophosphate in living cells.

Emissive molecules which not only emit at low concentrations, but also are fluorescent in aggregated state, have attracted considerable interests. Herein, we report an emissive molecule 1 based on tetraphenylethylene (TPE) in which two diacetylenes (DAs) are induced to restrict the rotation of phenyl rings in TPE, and consequently preserves the fluorescence in diluted solution, while it still shows aggregation-induced emission (AIE) effect in the solid state. Crystalline microfibers of 1 with DAs well-aligned are also constructed upon vapor diffusion method. Furthermore, the thermal induced polymerization of DAs in 1 could occur via heating the single crystals of 1 to afford a new porous polymer.

Biological thiols including homocysteine (Hcy), cysteine (Cys), hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and glutathione (GSH) play crucial roles in various pathological and physiological processes. The development of optical probes for biothiols has been an active research area in recent years. Herein, a new turn-on fluorescence probe (HD-NBD) was designed and synthesized by fusing tetrahydro[5]helicene and 7-nitro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole (NBD) for simultaneous discrimination of Hcy/Cys, H2S and GSH in aqueous solution. This probe is able to show unique absorbance enhancement at 548 nm for H2S and additional fluorescence enhancement at 536 nm only for Cys/Hcy, which can be used to discriminate H2S, Cys/Hcy and GSH simultaneously. In addition, HD-NBD also shows low background without any self-fluorescence, as well as high selectivity toward common biothiols. The low detection limits of this probe are about 0.15 μM for Hcy with a wide linear range (1–80 μM), 0.36 μM for Cys (linear range: 1–45 μM), 0.79 μM for H2S (linear range: 1–80 μM) and 4.44 μM for GSH (linear range: 1–60 μM). Moreover, HD-NBD can identify Hcy/Cys, H2S from GSH and other amino acids with high sensitivity and selectivity, therefore it could be used for detecting endogenous and exogenous Hcy/Cys under biological condition.

The extracellular SspA protease of the human pathogen S. aureus is essential for evading the host immune defence system. Two novel FRET probes for selective real-time ratiometric imaging of SspA activity in live S. aureus cells are reported.

A novel fluorescent probe (BC-PN-2) for the detection of ONOO− was synthesized by conjugating dicyano-vinyl with benzopyran-chromone. The dicyano-vinyl group can be destructed by ONOO− to generate an aldehyde group resulting in strong fluorescence. Compared with the general fluorescence probes, a novel reactive site to detect ONOO− in mitochondria is used in this probe and the results show short response time, high sensitivity and excellent selectivity toward ONOO− among reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) in PBS. Subsequent fluorescence imaging shows the high membrane permeability, a certain mitochondrial targeting and localization effect of the probe. In addition, the product BC-aldehyde cannot permeate through the membrane. Meanwhile, BC-PN-2 can accurately identify ONOO− in mitochondria by imaging of exogenous ONOO− in HepG2 cells and prove detected ONOO− are from mitochondria.

Herein, a new “turn on” fluorescent probe C-1 is developed to specifically detect hydrazine using coumarin nucleus as the fluorophore and β-diketone as the recognition group. The probe shows high selectivity towards hydrazine over other common ions and amine-containing species, as well as good water solubility and quantitative detectability of hydrazine in concentration range of 1–200 μM. The detection limit is as low as 1.89 ppb, which is lower than the threshold set by EPA (10 ppb). Probe-coated filter papers are confirmed to detect gaseous hydrazine successfully through obvious fluorescence color changes. In addition, the probe has been verified to detect hydrazine in actual water environment and living cells.

The design and exploration of efficient organic fluorophores have attracted significant scientific interest for their various potential applications. As blue fluorescent materials are essential for the achievement of a full-color display and white emission, the development of new efficient organic blue-emitting materials is of great importance. In this work, we found that simple organic molecules 2-aryloxybenzo[d]oxazoles could act as novel organic fluorophores with special AIE properties and efficient blue fluorescent emission in the solid states. Compounds 3 and 4 possess moderately high quantum yields at 10.3% and 11.4%, respectively. The CIE coordinates indicate that most of these compounds are deep-blue emitters. The single crystal structure of compound 3 shows that it has a twisted V-shape molecular structure with J-type aggregation. Noncovalent interactions widely exist in the crystal structures, while π-π stacking interactions are not observed between adjacent aromatic rings. The special fluorescent properties of these new emitters could ascribe to the unique molecular packing mode in the crystal structure. This work provides a new strategy to access organic solid-state fluorophores with deep-blue emission.

A coumarin-appended rhodamine derivative was prepared by reacting rhodamine hydrazide and coumarin-3-carboxylic acid, which fluorescence sensing behavior toward Zn2+ against other metal ions was investigated in CH3CN. Significantly, the rodamine-coumarin derivative exhibited highly selective and sensitive recognition toward Zn2+ with a limit of detection (LOD) down to 10−9 M. Upon addition of Zn2+, remarkable fluorescent intensities enhanced and also clear color changed from colorless to pink. The Job’s plot indicated the formation of 1:1 complex between the rhodamine-coumarin derivative and Zn2+. The presence of common coexisting alkali, alkaline earth, and transition metal ions showed small or no interference with the detection of Zn2+. The conjugate dye could be used for “naked-eye” detection of Zn2+.

Objectives Aim of this study is to explore whether quercetin can inhibit the enlarged fibrogenic responses of endometrial stromal cells by increasing the level of microRNA-145 (miR-145) and mediating the TGFβ1/Smad2/Smad3 signaling pathway, and to discuss the mechanism of signal transduction, further to provide experimental basis for revealing the pathophysiological mechanism and seeking new strategies for effective prevention and treatment of endometrial fibrosis. Methods The expression levels of miR-145 and TGF-β receptor 2 (TGFBR2) were detected by RT-qPCR analysis. Expressions of α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and vimentin were examined by immunofluorescence staining. Cell viability was measured by MTT assay. The protein expression of collagen type 1 alpha 1 (Col1a1), α-SMA, fibronectin (FN), TGFBR2, transforming growth factor (TGF-β1), Smad2/3, phospho-Smad2/3 (p-Smad2/3) were detected by western blot analysis. The interaction between miR-145 and TGFBR2 was confirmed by dual-luciferase reporter gene assay. Results The expression level of miR-145 was decreased, whereas TGFBR2 was increased in intrauterine adhesion tissue. The expression levels of COL1A1, α-SMA, FN, TGFBR2, and p-Smad2/3 were increased, whereas miR-145 and cell proliferation were decreased in human endometrial stromal cells (hESCs) in response to TGF-β1 stimulation in a time and dose-dependent manner, which could be reversed by quercetin. Furthermore, quercetin regulates cell fibrogenic responses of endometrial stromal cells via miR-145/TGF-β1/Smad2/Smad3 pathway. Conclusions These findings indicated that quercetin have a significant anti-fibrotic effect and could upregulate miR-145 and inhibit activation of TGF-β1/Smad2/Smad3 pathway to regulate TGF-β1 induced fibrogenic responses of endometrial stromal cells, which may serve as a potential therapeutic agent for endometrial fibrosis.

A novel fluorescence probe (TIA) is designed and synthesized by grafting acryl on hydroxyl and diazabenzo[ghi]perylene, respectively. The acryl groups on hydroxyl act as a recognition site and fluorescence quencher. After a conjugated addition/cyclization reaction of Cys with TIA, the acryl groups on hydroxyl fall off and acryl conjugated perylene (TIA−OH) is released as the fluorophore with 70-fold increment of fluorescence in PBS. The short response time (less than 5 min) and high signal-noise-ratio endow the probe with fast detection, high sensitivity, low detection limit (0.11 μM) and wide linear range (10−100 μM). Interestingly, compared with the parent dihydroxy 1,2-diazabenzo[ghi]perylene, the introduction of acryl group on the perylene can modulate the fluorescence and increase the fluorescence quantum yield of TIA−OH by more than 10-fold (41 % in PBS). The TD-DFT calculations also reveal that the acryl group conjugated on the perylene can result intramolecular charge transfer and the calculated fluorescence is in good agreement with the experimental values. What’s more, the high cell membrane permeability and specificity for Cys of the probe ensure the application in fluorescence imaging of living cells to detect intracellular Cys.

To develop new dyes with mitochondria staining capacity, a series of zwitterionic dyes of hybrid coumarin-difluoroboron have been synthesized. The hybrid dyes are conjugated by 7-diethylaminocoumarin, difluoroboron (BF2) β-diketone and electron-donating group. The dyes show deep-red emission (600–680 nm) and high fluorescence quantum yield in organic solvents. The nature of ICT and zwitterion has been fully researched by TD-DFT and ESP calculations. Co-staining with the Mito–Tracker Green shows staining capability to mitochondria in living cells by confocal cell imaging experiments. This work can provide a new strategy for the design of neutral cellular probes for mitochondria staining.

A general and efficient synthetic methodology for the preparation of enantio- and diastereopure [6]-, and [7]helicenes is developed. Commercially available chiral binaphthanols are utilized to generate the arylene-vinylene precursors, which undergo helical folding via photocyclization to give enantio- and diastereopure [6]-, and [7]helicenes. These optically pure helicenes could be easily obtained via silica gel column chromatography without the use of expensive HPLC or chiral resolution reagents. The configurations and structures of these helicenes are confirmed by CD spectra and X-ray crystallographic analysis. This work provides a new method for preparation of enantiopure helicenes.

In this work, we have designed and synthesized a dinitrobenzene-sulfonate tetrahydro[5]helicene (H-DNP) as an effective fluorescent probe for detection of hydrogen sulfide (H2S). Upon the addition of H2S, a significant fluorescence enhancement (75-fold) at 495 nm can be observed with a distinct color change from colorless to yellow. Additionally, H-DNP shows low background spectroscopic signal, large Stokes Shift up to ~140 nm, good sensitivity, rapid response time less than 2 min, low detection limit (48 nM) and high selectivity toward common bio-thiols (Cysteine, Homocysteine and Glutathione). Compared with the previous dinitrophenoxy tetrahydro[5]helicene, this probe has shorter response time and lower detection limit. Most importantly, this probe H-DNP has low toxicity to cells and excellent cell permeability, which can be applied to visualize H2S in living cells.

In this study, a new coumarin-based fluorescent and chromogenic dual channel probe (DC) was used for the selective detection of homocysteine (Hcy) over other amino acids, especially for cysteine (Cys) and glutathione (GSH). When Hcy is present in the solution, the remarkable fluorescence enhancement and obvious blue shift in UV–vis spectra can be observed. In addition, the color change from purple to yellow can be observed clearly by unaided eyes. This probe DC has fast response time, excellent sensitivity and selectivity to Hcy. A linear relationship exists between the ratio of emissions at 486 and 625 nm, and Hcy can be detected in a wide concentration range (0–200 μM). The signal-to-background ratio of fluorescence at 486 nm can reach 8.4, and the detection limit is calculated to be 3.5 µM. The response mechanism is proved to be the Michael addition reaction by Hcy. Preliminary results on cell imaging enable the practical application of Hcy tracing in living cells.

Endogenous hydrogen sulfide plays an important role in various physiological and pathological processes and the convenient and selective recognition of hydrogen sulfide has become a research hotspot. We designed and synthesized a tetrahydro[5]helicene and 2,4-dinitrobenzene conjugate (HD-DNP) as an effective fluorescent probe for selective detection of H2S. The selective deprotection of 2,4-dinitrophenyl ether group of HD-DNP by H2S led to a dramatic fluorescent enhancement (101-fold) at 500 nm and colorimetric change in DMSO–PBS solution. HD-DNP displays many advantages including low background without any self-fluorescence, as well as high selectivity towards common bio-thiols such as Cysteine, Homocysteine and Glutathione. The detection limit of this probe for H2S was found to be about 2.4 μM with a wide linear range (10–70 μM). The response mechanism of the probe with HS− is confirmed to be thiolysis of the dinitrophenyl ether induced by HS− through 1H NMR comparison investigations.

Ho3+-doped titanium dioxide (TiO2:Ho3+) downconversion (DC) nanowires were synthesized through a simple hydrothermal method followed by a subsequent calcination process after being immersed in Ho(NO3)3 aqueous solution. Moreover, TiO2:Ho3+ nanowires (HTNWs) were used as the photoanode in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) to investigate their photoelectric properties. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were used to characterize the morphology and structure of the material, respectively. The photofluorescence and ultraviolet–visible absorption spectra of HTNWs reveal a DC from the near and middle ultraviolet light to visible light which matches the strong absorbed region of the N719 dye. Compared with the pure TNW photoanode, HTNWs DC photoanodes show greater photovoltaic efficiency. The photovoltaic conversion efficiency (η) of the DSSCs with HTNWs photoanode doped with 4% Ho2O3 (mass fraction) is two times that with pure TNW photoanode. This enhancement could be attributed to HTNWs which could extend the spectral response range of DSSCs to the near and middle ultraviolet region and increase the short-circuit current density (Jsc) of DSSCs, thus leading to the enhancement of photovoltaic conversion efficiency.

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a serious complication of sepsis, which has a high mortality rate. Growth arrest-specific protein 6 (Gas6), the protein product of the growth arrest specific gene 6, has been shown to have an anti-apoptotic effect as well as pro-survival capability. Here, we investigated the effects of Gas6 on sepsis-associated AKI in mice subjected to cecal ligation and puncture (CLP). We found that the administration of rmGas6 significantly reduced serum urea nitrogen and creatinine and improved the survival of septic mice. Furthermore, the renal pathological damage induced by CLP was attenuated by rmGas6 treatment. Finally, rmGas6 reduced the renal tissue apoptotic index and the expression of Bax, while it upregulated the expression of Bcl-2. The data suggest that rmGas6 might be used as a potential therapeutic agent for sepsis-induced AKI.

A selective and sensitive method to detect glutathione (GSH) based on the complex of a coumarin-based probe and Cu2+ is reported. In response to GSH, the system provides remarkable fluorescence intensity change with the color change from colorless to yellow, and the detect limit is determined to be 3.6 × 10−7 M. The background amino acids show small or no interference on the detection of GSH. Moreover, this probe could be applied to detect GSH via intracellular fluorescent imaging.

Axial chiral bisbenzocoumarins were synthesized for the first time by converting naphthanol units in 1,1'-binaphthol (BINOL) molecule to the benzocoumarin rings. The substitute groups on 3,3'-positions of bisbenzocoumarins showed significant influence on their aggregation-induced emission enhancement (AEE) properties. It was also found that BBzC1 with ester groups on 3,3'-positions exhibit an abnormal aggregation-annihilation circular dichroism (AACD) phenomenon, which could be caused by the decrease of the dihedral angle between adjacent benzocoumarin rings in the aggregation state. The single crystal structure of BBzC1 showed that the large dihedral angle in molecule prohibited the strong π-π stacking interactions, which could be main factors for its AEE properties.

The thiophene-modified rhodamine 6G (GYJ) has been synthesized as a novel chemosensor. The sensor has sufficiently high selectivity and sensitivity for the detection of Fe3+ and Al3+ ions (M3+) by fluorescence and ultraviolet spectroscopy with a strong ability for anti-interference performance. The binding ratio of M3+-GYJ complex was determined to be 2:1 according to the Job’s plot. The binding constants for Fe3+ and Al3+ were calculated to be 3.91 × 108 and 5.26 × 108 M−2, respectively. All these unique features made it particularly favorable for cellular imaging applications. The obvious fluorescence microscopy experiments demonstrated that the probes could contribute to the detection of Fe3+ and Al3+ in related cells and biological organs with satisfying resolution.

Recently, more and more rhodamine derivatives have been used as fluorophores to construct sensors due to their excellent spectroscopic properties. A rhodamine-based fluorescent and colorimetric Fe(3+) chemosensor 3',6'-bis(ethylamino)-2-acetoxyl-2',7'-dimethyl-spiro[1H-isoindole-1,9'-[9H]xanthen]-3(2H)-one (RAE) was designed and synthesized. Upon the addition of Fe(3+), the dramatic enhancement of both fluorescence and absorbance intensity, as well as the color change of the solution, could be observed. The detection limit of RAE for Fe(3+) was around 7.98 ppb. Common coexistent metal ions showed little or no interference in the detection of Fe(3+). Moreover, the addition of CN(-) could quench the fluorescence of the acetonitrile solution of RAE and Fe(3+), indicating the regeneration of the chemosensor RAE. The robust nature of the sensor was shown by the detection of Fe(3+) even after repeated rounds of quenching. As iron is a ubiquitous metal in cells and plays vital roles in many biological processes, this chemosensor could be developed to have applications in biological studies.

We report that a previously found fluorescent chemodosimeter for Hg(II) ions can also be used as a fluorescent probe for hypochlorous acid (HClO) in that its fluorescence intensity (excited at 520 nm and measured at 563 nm) is linearly proportional to the concentration of HClO in the 1–100 μM range and with a 0.1 μM detection limit. The probe can detect HClO with virtually no interference by Hg(II) and other metal ions. The mechanism for the high selectivity for HClO has been studied. The probe was applied to image hypochlorite in E. coli cells.

A rhodamine-based fluorescent and colorimetric chemosensor (RTSB) for Fe 3+ ion was designed and synthesized, which displayed highly selective and sensitive Fe 3+ -amplified fluorescence emission and absorbance above 500 nm in aqueous solution with the color change from colorless to pink. Moreover, it also showed highly selective and sensitive recognition toward cyanide ion upon addition of Fe 3+ with the color change back to colorless in the same solution. The detection limit of the system for CN − was around 7.2 × 10 −8 M (S/N = 3). The chemosensor may be found its potential applications in environmental and biological systems.

Stimuli-responsive organic luminescent materials have attracted increasing attention for their specific chemical and physical properties and potential application in many fields, such as sensing materials, optoelectronic devices and security papers. In this work, we designed and synthesized three new organic smart materials with dimethylamino naphthalene and cyanostyrene moieties. These fluorescent molecules show solvatochromic properties. With solvent polarity increased, their fluorescent emissions are red shifted. These molecules also exhibited aggregation-induced emission enhancement properties. The emission wavelength of these materials in solid state was red-shifted upon stimuli with external mechanic force, which could be recovered after addition of dichloromethane solvent. The PXRD and DSC experiments revealed that the mechanochromic properties could be ascribed to the phase transition between crystalline and amorphous states. The switch of optical properties of these molecules under acid stimuli was also studied. The fluorescent emissions show blue-shifted when exposed to trifluoroacetic acid, and these organic materials were further utilized as security ink.

Aluminium spinel MAl2O4(M = Mg, Zn, Cu) photocatalysts were prepared by a sol-gel method. The prepared samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscope. The results indicated that the samples possess a single spinel-type structure. Ultraviolet-visible diffuse reflectance spectra showed an extension of light absorption into the visible region. The spinel MAl2O4photocatalysts exhibited high photocatalytic activity for the degradation of industrial dyes under high pressure mercury lamp and visible light irradiation, especially CuAl2O4. With the decrease of band gap of MAl2O4(M = Mg, Zn, Cu), the photocatalytic activity increases. The possible reasons are discussed from the crystal field theory and energy band theory. These characteristics make the aluminium spinel MAl2O4(M = Mg, Zn, Cu) photocatalysts to be promising candidates for the photocatalytic degradation of dyes.

Foam glass was prepared by boron mud, broken glass, foaming agents and fluxes. The appropriate foaming temperature and foaming time were got by sintering parameter optimization. The effects of preparation conditions on propertis of the foam glass for soilless cultivation matrix were investigated. The results show that under the optimum preparation conditions (the foaming temperature is 800 °C and foaming time is 40 min), the formula for boron mud/broken glass: Borax: Sodium nitrate: Calcium carbonate is 35/50: 5:7:3, the bulk density is 247 kg/m3, the open porosity is 70%, the water absorption rate is 202.3%, the pH value of soak solution keeps at about 6.5 with the increase of immersion time. All of these will meet the application requirement of soilless cultivation.

Thermal insulation material with flexural strength 0.597 MPa, compressive strength 1.1111 MPa and porosity 46.71% shows that its density of the materials decreases down to 0.5466 g/cm3 using sugar filter mud as raw material. The closed porosity and dense structure of sample has been observed by photograph and the main crystalline phases of the sample using XRD techniques are tricalcium silicate and ettringite. These mineral reacting with water will occur the hydration reaction and is contribute to improve the strength of the body.

In this experiment, the spinel-type lithium manganese oxide (LiMn2O4) prepared via solid-phase sintering method was coated with magnesium titanium composite oxide (MgTiOx) in the presence of polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) under the ultrasonic wave. The crystal structures, surface morphologies and electrochemical properties of the sample prepared were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and electrochemical analysis. The X-ray diffractions indicated that the LiMn2O4 coated with MgTiOx were similar to that of the pure LiMn2O4, and they both showed sharp and high peaks. The particles of the samples prepared with PVP did not aggregate obviously, and the samples were coated completely and homogeneously. At charge-discharge rates of 0.2C, the first discharge capacity can reach more than 120 mAh / g. Compared with pure LiMn2O4, the capacity attenuation of MgTiOx-coated LiMn2O4 reduced after fifty cycles, and showed good electrochemical performance.

Porous material with raised flexural strength 34.43 MPa and porosity 33.069% obtained at 1070 °C for 0.5 h, shows that its bulk density of the materials decreases down to 1.450 g/cm3using FGD gypsum as aggregate. The closed porosity and dense structure of sample has been observed by SEM and the main crystalline phases of the sample using XRD techniques are quartz, mullite and anorthite. The calcium oxide from FGD gypsum decomposition helps to form the crystalline phase of anorthite and to improve the flexural strength of sample.

In order to reduce the postoperative inflammation by the slow release of drugs at the beginning of implanting, drug-loaded apatite coatings and chitosan-apatite composite coatings on the NiTi alloy surface were prepared in the Simulated Body Fluid concentrated by five (5×SBF) under constant bubbling of carbon dioxide gas by biomimetic synthesis method. The composition and surface morphology of the coatings were studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Additionally, a bacterial inhibition test was conducted for evaluating the drug slow release effects from the drug-loaded coatings. The results indicated that the porous apatite coatings with the flake structure could be deposited using the 5 times Simulated Body Fluid, and the drug-loaded chitosan-apatite composite coatings with better drug slow release effect were obtained. The incorporation of chitosan into the coatings could effectively control the drug release rate and was favorable for achieving better drug slow release effects.

Sodium tungsten bronze NaxWO3 powders have been prepared by hydrothermal method using sodium tungstate as raw material and citric acid as reducing agent, followed by annealing under the inert gas N2 atmosphere. The prepared powders were confirmed as tetragonal sodium tungsten bronze Na0.1WO3 by X-ray diffraction. The SEM observation showed that the as-prepared Na0.1WO3 particles exhibited rod-like morphology with about 20 μm in length and 5 μm in diameter. The influence of pH value of the precursor solution and annealing temperature on the synthesized powders were also investigated. The results indicated that sodium tungsten bronze NaXWO3 would not be obtained when the pH value of the precursor solution decreased to pH=1 or the annealing temperature was lower than 700°C by this hydrothermal method. Additionally, as the wavelength increasing, the transmittance of prepared NaxWO3 exhibited higher visible light transparency with reaching up to about 58% and a downward trend in near-infrared area, which indicates that the prepared Na0.1WO3 have potential application as near-infrared shielding material.

A novel efficient one-pot four-component regioselective synthesis of pyrrolo[1,2-a][1,10]phenanthrolines in excellent yields has been developed by 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of aldehydes, malononitrile, and isocyanides with 1,10-phenanthroline under solvent-free conditions within 3 min without using any catalyst or activation. The products were preliminarily investigated as chromogenic and fluorescent sensors for Cu(2+) ions.

LiFePO4/C cathode materials were synthesized by Sol-gel method under the same process conditions using different water-soluble lithium source (LiOH, Li2CO3, LiNO3). The phase of synthesized powders were characterized by XRD; and the electrochemical performance of the material was investigated by measurements of cyclic voltammetry, AC impedance measurements, charge and discharge. The results show that the synthesized LiFePO4/C using LiOH as the lithium source has high electrochemical reversibility and low internal impedance. The specific discharge capacity is 147.5mAh/g under the discharge at 0.2C rate. It also has high stability of cycle capacity, and almost no attenuation after 30 cycles. So it has the excellent electrochemical performance.

A highly sensitive fluorescent acidic pH probe based on rhodamine B-2-aminobutenedioate conjugate, was designed and synthesized. When the H + concentration falls within the pH range of 4.0–6.5, the spirolactam unit of rhodamine B-2-aminobutenedioate was opened, which resulted in the dramatic enhancement of both fluorescence and absorbance intensity as well as the color change of the solution. Background metal ions showed small or no interference with the detection of H + . Confocal laser scanning microscopy experiments showed that rhodamine B-2-aminobutenedioate can be applied to detect acidic pH variations in living cells with a turn-on signal.

La0.7Sr0.15Ca0.15Co1-xFexO3-δ(x=0.1、0.2、0.3、0.4) powders for the applications as the cathode materials in solid oxide fuel cell were synthesized by the citrate method. The results show that the powders calcined at 800°C for 3h were high pure perovskite state and the position of XRD spectra diffraction peak of the cathode materials shifts to the small angle and the grain size of the powders is getting larger with increasing the content of Fe-doped. The open circuit voltage of the single cell made by molding method in the hydrogen/air with La0.7Sr0.15Ca0.15Co1-xFexO3-δas its cathode got the maximum-value bwteen the the operation temperature from 550°C to 600°C.The maximum power density decreases from 392.85mW/cm2 to 331.99 mW/cm2 with x content increases from 0.1 to 0.4 at the the operation temperature of 650 °C.