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In current work, the effect of nanoparticle size in Cu-Y 2 O 3 alloy on the microstructure response after He/D sequential irradiation is studied using a transmission electron microscope (TEM) and nanoindentation. The results indicated that the direct contribution of nanoparticle/matrix interface to defect evolution and irradiation hardening of ODS Cu is limited when the nanoparticle size is larger than 20 nm. The difference in the proportion of ∑3 grain boundary and small angle grain boundaries was observed with different nanoparticle sizes, which suggests that the indirect effects on the sink strength caused by changes in the nature of grain boundary cannot be ignored, especially for the large particles. Besides, the distribution of bubbles after sequential He/D irradiation was highly similar to that in single He irradiation. • Nanoparticles with a size of >20 nm have limited effect on the defect evolution. • Change on the nature of grain boundary has significant impact defect evolution. • The He pre-implantation has significant impact on the distribution of bubbles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The real-time dynamic change of gold nanofluid transmittance is measured in the light-induced vaporization process. • A computational model is proposed to obtain the nanobubble size distribution and evolution pattern. • The effect of particle concentration on the evolution of bubble size is analyzed. A comprehensive understanding of the nature of light-induced plasmonic nanobubbles (PNBs) generated around noble metal nanoparticles is essential for optimizing PNB-based applications, such as light-driven microfluidic control. To investigate the overall evolution pattern of plasmonic nanobubbles (PNBs) under continuous light illumination, a computational model based on the least-squares method is established. Meanwhile, the variations in nanofluid transmittance and vaporization mass under continuous light illumination are measured by an immersion fiber and an electronic balance, respectively. The effects of nanoparticle concentration on the nanofluid transmittance and vaporization mass are analyzed. Considering the variations in nanofluid concentration, the overall evolution pattern of PNBs is preliminarily analyzed by monitoring the real-time dynamic change in nanofluid transmittance. The experimental results indicate that the nanoparticle concentration has an important effect on the nanofluid vaporization process. During the illumination stage, an increased nanofluid concentration intensifies the synergistic effect of water vaporization and PNB growth on transmittance reduction. The change in nanofluid transmittance caused by PNB scattering greatly exceeds that caused by increasing nanoparticle concentration. The nanofluid concentration gradually increases and peaks at the end of the cooling stage, and the rate of change of the nanofluid concentration is proportional to the nanofluid concentration. The numerical calculations show that the average size and the range of the PNB size distribution continuously increase with increasing irradiation time, and decrease during the cooling stage. A higher nanofluid concentration corresponds to a wider range of PNB size distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a new method was developed for measuring the stability of incoherent nanoparticles using high-resolution high voltage microscopy. The method was demonstrated successfully on Fe-12Cr ODS steel. In situ particle size evolution during 1.25 MeV electron irradiation were observed at room temperature. The results indicated a diffusion of solute atoms via a no vacancy mechanism, such as the reorientation jump of mixed dumbbell. The statistical results indicate that the particles in 12Cr-ODS steel exhibit a combination of overall stability and local instability, where most particles are stable, and a few particles have undergone size changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spinel ferrites are promising anode materials for lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs) owing to their high theoretical specific capacities. However, their practical application is impeded by inherent low conductivity and severe volume expansion, which can be surpassed by increasing the surface‐to‐volume ratio of nanoparticles. Currently, most methods produce spinel ferrite nanoparticles with large size and severe aggregation, degrading their electrochemical performance. In this study, a low‐temperature aminolytic route was designed to synthesize sub‐10 nm CoFe2O4 nanoparticles with good dispersion through carefully exploiting the reaction of acetates and oleylamine. The performance of CoFe2O4 nanoparticles obtained by a traditional co‐precipitation method was also investigated for comparison. This work demonstrates that CoFe2O4 nanoparticles synthesized by the aminolytic route are promising as anode materials for LIBs. Besides, this method can be extended to design other spinel ferrites for energy storage devices with superior performance by simply changing the starting material, such as MnFe2O4, MgFe2O4, ZnFe2O4, and so on. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• CuPd@C 3 N 4 catalysts were prepared by a facile method. • Properties of CuPd@C 3 N 4 catalysts were confirmed by imperative measurements. • Enhanced selective hydroxylation of benzene to phenol performance were measured under the same condition. • The mechanism of the enhanced photocatalytic performance was discussed in detail. Phenol is one of the most common intermediates for the synthesis of industrial chemicals. In this paper, we report on the application of photocatalysis for phenol production by hydroxylation of benzene. A series of CuPd bimetallic alloy nanoparticles-coated holey carbon nitride materials have been synthesized. Compared with holey carbon nitride, a considerable increase in selectivity to phenol is achieved in the presence of a uniform distribution of CuPd bimetallic alloy nanoparticles coated on the surface. The catalyst with 0.5 wt% of CuPd bimetallic alloy particles shows an excellent photocatalytic performance where a selective transformation of benzene to phenol of ~89.6% is achieved within 90 min. We attribute this high performance in selective transformation to the uniform distribution of CuPd bimetallic alloy nanoparticles and the high photocatalytic activity of C 3 N 4 /CuPd composite photocatalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Highlights • A novel ZIF-8/CuPd bimetallic photocatalyst were first prepared. • The recombination of photo-induced electron-hole pairs had been impeded. • ZIF-8/CuPd catalyst with 5 wt% of CuPd bimetallic nanoparticles displays the highest photocatalytic efficiency. • The mechanism of the enhanced photocatalytic performance were discussed in detail. Abstract Nowadays, the Chromium (Cr(VI)) pollution is regarded as a serious threat to both the human health and environment. Therefore, developing an efficient catalyst to remove this pollution is an urgent task. As we know, photocatalytic degradation performance of Cr(VI) is severely hampered owing to its highly recombination efficiency of electrons and holes and lower adsorption activity. In this paper, bimetallic alloy nanoparticles decorated on ZIF-8 were synthesized using a sol-gel method for the photoreduction of Cr(VI) in aqueous solution. The CuPd@ZIF-8 catalyst was characterized in terms of specific surface area, surface morphology, and optical response using X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectrum, Raman spectrum, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), specific surface area and UV–vis diffuse reflectance (DRS) spectrum. The as-obtained CuPd@ZIF-8 catalyst exhibited excellent photoreduction activity for the reduction of Cr (VI), compared to that of pristine ZIF-8 nanoparticles. Furthermore, the CuPd@ZIF-8 catalyst containing 5 wt% CuPd bimetallic nanoparticles showed the highest photocatalytic activity, where 89% reduction of Cr(VI) (20 ppm) reduction was achieved within 60 min. The as prepared CuPd@ZIF-8 catalyst provided a high specific surface area and charge transfer rate, which impeded the recombination of the generated electrons and holes. Moreover, the stability of the CuPd@ZIF-8 catalyst was tested and photocatalytic activity was maintained at ˃90% after four cycles. In addition, the proposed mechanism is explained thoroughly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of metal oxides in carbon-based supercapacitors (SCs) is regarded as an efficient strategy to obtain enhanced capacity. However, the poor cycle stability of pseudocapacitive metal oxides and the low capacitance of carbon-based materials limit the performance of SC. In this work, charcoal-derived activated carbon (CAC) is obtained by KOH activation and CO 2 activation of various durations, and RuO 2 /CAC is fabricated by a hydrothermal route. The resulting materials yield improved performance. A series of characterizations, including X-ray diffraction measurement, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller analysis, and contact angle measurement prove that RuO 2 nanoparticles are uniformly dispersed on the surface of the as-prepared CAC. Three-dimensional hetero-RuO 2 /CAC exhibits high conductivity owing to efficient electron transport and abundant active sites, leading to enhanced supercapacitor performance. A moderate pore size distribution is found to yield optimal electrochemical activity. The as-prepared composites obtained by CO 2 activation for 120 min generate high capacitances of 510 and 402 F/g at current densities of 1 and 20 A/g, respectively, with good stability (87.05% after 3000 cycles). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Titanium (Ti) and its alloys offer favorable biocompatibility, mechanical properties and corrosion resistance, which makes them an ideal material choice for dental implants. However, the long-term success of Ti-based dental implants may be challenged due to implant-related infections and inadequate osseointegration. With the development of nanotechnology, nanoscale modifications and the application of nanomaterials have become key areas of focus for research on dental implants. Surface modifications and the use of various coatings, as well as the development of the controlled release of antibiotics or proteins, have improved the osseointegration and soft-tissue integration of dental implants, as well as their antibacterial and immunomodulatory functions. This review introduces recent nano-engineering technologies and materials used in topographical modifications and surface coatings of Ti-based dental implants. These advances are discussed and detailed, including an evaluation of the evidence of their biocompatibility, toxicity, antimicrobial activities and in-vivo performances. The comparison between these attempts at nano-engineering reveals that there are still research gaps that must be addressed towards their clinical translation. For instance, customized three-dimensional printing technology and stimuli-responsive, multi-functional and time-programmable implant surfaces holds great promise to advance this field. Furthermore, long-term in vivo studies under physiological conditions are required to ensure the clinical application of nanomaterial-modified dental implants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) arises from the renal parenchymal epithelium and is the predominant malignant entity of renal cancer, exhibiting increasing incidence and mortality rates over time. SEC14-like 3 (SEC14L3) has emerged as a compelling target for cancer intervention; nevertheless, the precise clinical implications and molecular underpinnings of SEC14L3 in ccRCC remain elusive. Methods: By leveraging clinical data and data from the TCGA-ccRCC and GEO datasets, we investigated the association between SEC14L3 expression levels and overall survival rates in ccRCC patients. The biological role and mechanism of SEC14L3 in ccRCC were investigated via in vivo and in vitro experiments. Moreover, siRNA-SEC14L3@PDA@MUC12 nanoparticles (SSPM-NPs) were synthesized and assessed for their therapeutic potential against SEC14L3 through in vivo and in vitro assays. Results: Our investigation revealed upregulated SEC14L3 expression in ccRCC tissues, and exogenous downregulation of SEC14L3 robustly suppressed the malignant traits of ccRCC cells. Mechanistically, knocking down SEC14L3 facilitated the ubiquitination-mediated degradation of ribosomal protein S3 (RPS3) and augmented IκBα accumulation in ccRCC. This concerted action thwarted the nuclear translocation of P65, thereby abrogating the activation of the nuclear factor kappa B (NFκB) signaling pathway and impeding ccRCC cell proliferation and metastasis. Furthermore, diminished SEC14L3 levels exerted a suppressive effect on NFKB1 expression within the NFκB signaling cascade. NFKB1 functions as a transcriptional regulator capable of binding to the SEC14L3 enhancer and promoter, thereby promoting SEC14L3 expression. Consequently, the inhibition of SEC14L3 expression was further potentiated, thus forming a positive feedback loop. Additionally, we observed that downregulation of SEC14L3 significantly increased the sensitivity of ccRCC cells to sunitinib. The evaluation of SSPM-NPs nanotherapy highlighted its effectiveness in combination with sunitinib for inhibiting ccRCC growth. Conclusion: Our findings not only underscore the promise of SEC14L3 as a therapeutic target but also unveil an SEC14L3/RPS3/NFκB positive feedback loop that curtails ccRCC progression. Modulating SEC14L3 expression to engage this positive feedback loop might herald novel avenues for ccRCC treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• PCN and NMOs hybrid (NMOs/PCN) architectures are obtained by a self-assembly route. • NMOs/PCN exhibit delicate architectures where NMOs uniformly distribute on PCN. • NMOs as efficient electron transporting channels can extract electrons from PCN. • NMOs/PCN present enhanced electron-hole separation efficiency. • Non/low-Pt-assisted NMOs/PCN show prominent visible-light-driven HER activity. Exploitation of g-C 3 N 4 based photocatalysts capable of drastically boosting photoinduced electron-hole separation and solar-to-H 2 conversion efficiency consequences is a hotspot topic. Herein, a construction of few-layer P-doped g-C 3 N 4 (PCN) nanosheets decorated with n-type metal oxides (NMOs) nanostructures, i.e. TiO 2 nanoparticles and SnO 2 nanowires via a self-assembly method is reported. NMOs uniformly distributing on PCN act as electron transporting channels, dramatically enhancing extraction efficiency of photogenerated electrons from PCN. The resultant TiO 2 /PCN and SnO 2 /PCN in the absence of Pt under visible light irradiation exhibit drastically enhanced H 2 evolution reaction (HER) rates of 1082 and 2090 μmol h−1 g−1 comparing with PCN (132 μmol h−1 g−1). Such HER activities are superb among noble metal-free g-C 3 N 4 based photocatalysts. Under a very low Pt amount (0.33 wt%), the HER rates of TiO 2 -Pt/PCN and SnO 2 -Pt/PCN further climb up to 11,632 and 12,469 μmol h−1 g−1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To tackle the issue of poor rate capability and cycle stability of Sb-based alloy anodes for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) and potassium-ion batteries (PIBs), especially the abrupt capacity decay of Sb anode for PIBs, herein 3D porous structured Sb-Co nanocomposites are synthesized by a simple reduction precipitation and used as novel anode materials for SIBs and PIBs. The Sb-Co nanocomposite anode exhibits excellent rate capability and cycle performance. This anode for SIBs delivers a reversible capacity of 717.6 mAh g−1 at 60 mA g−1 and a 377.8 mAh g−1 reversible capacity at 6000 mA g−1. Moreover, the Sb-Co nanocomposite anode for PIBs exhibits a reversible capacity of 402.7 mAh g−1 after 100 cycles at 60 mA g−1. Enhanced electrochemical performance of porous Sb-Co nanocomposites can be attributed to the synergistic effect of the Sb nanoparticles, 3D porous nanostructure and the incorporation of Co element. These results demonstrate that the Sb-Co nanocomposites are promising anode materials for SIBs and PIBs. Unlabelled Image • 3D porous Sb-Co nanocomposites have been synthesized by reduction precipitation. • Sb-Co anodes exhibit superior rate capability and cycle performance. • A reversible capacity of Sb-Co anode for SIBs is 377.8 mAh g−1 at 6000 mA g−1 (10 C). • Sb-Co anode for PIBs delivers a capacity of 402.7 mAh g−1 after 100 cycles at 0.1 C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Autophagy, a lysosomal self-degradation pathway, plays a critical role in cellular homeostasis by degrading endogenous damaged organelles and protein aggregates into recyclable biological molecules. Additionally, it detoxifies extracellular toxic substances, including drugs and toxic materials, thereby preserving the stability of the intracellular environment. The swift progression of nanotechnology has led to an increased focus on understanding the relationship between nanomaterials and autophagy. The effects of various nanomaterials and nano drug delivery systems on autophagy and their biological functions have been preliminarily assessed, revealing that modulation of intracellular autophagy levels by these agents represents a novel cellular response mechanism. Notably, autophagy regulation based on nanomaterials or nano drug delivery systems for a range of diseases is currently the subject of extensive research. Given the close association between autophagy levels and tumors, the regulation of autophagy has emerged as a highly active area of research in the development of innovative tumor therapies. This review synthesizes the current understanding of the application of nanomaterials or nano drug delivery systems on autophagy and their potential biological functions, suggesting a new avenue for nanomaterial-based autophagy regulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fe–N–C catalysts are emerging as promising alternatives to Pt‐based catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), while they still suffer from sluggish reaction kinetics due to the discontented binding affinity between the Fe‐N4 sites and oxygen‐containing intermediates, and unsatisfactory stability. Herein, a flexible multichannel carbon fiber membrane immobilized with atomically dispersed Fe‐N4 sites and neighboring Fe nanoclusters/nanoparticles (FeN4‐FeNCP@MCF) is synthesized. The optimized geometric and electronic structures of the Fe atomic sites brought by adjacent Fe nanoclusters/nanoparticles and hierarchically porous structure of the carbon matrix endow FeN4‐FeNCP@MCF with outstanding ORR activity and stability, considerably outperforming its counterpart with FeN4 sites only and the commercial Pt/C catalyst. Liquid and solid‐state flexible zinc–air batteries employing FeN4‐FeNCP@MCF both exhibit outstanding durability. Theoretical calculation reveals that the Fe nanoclusters can trigger remarkable electron redistribution of the FeN4 sites and modulate the hybridization of central Fe 3d and O 2p orbitals, facilitating the activation of O2 molecules and optimizing the adsorption capacity of oxygen‐containing intermediates on FeN4 sites, and thus accelerating the ORR kinetic. This work offers an effective approach to constructing coupling catalysts that have single atoms coexisting with nanoclusters/nanoparticles for efficient ORR catalysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Persistent luminescence nanoparticles (PLNPs) are an emerging type of optical nanomaterial that possess long‐lasting afterglow after the excitation has stopped. Recently, bottom‐up synthesis of PLNPs has offered uniform and small nanocrystals that are desirable for various bioapplications. However, the lack of a simple method to enhance the afterglow of these PLNPs is one of the key obstacles hindering their further development and applications. Herein, a simple strategy is demonstrated that can amplify both light and X‐ray charged persistent luminescence in monodispersed Zn2GeO4:Mn PLNPs via the non‐equivalency substitution of zinc ions with lithium ions in the lattice matrix and concomitant to the electron traps tailoring. It is significant that, in addition to increasing the intensity of the afterglow, this nanoscale atomic level substitution can preserve the desirable uniform size and morphology of the PLNPs. Furthermore, since the two excitations (light and X‐ray) are independent of each other, a light/X‐ray orthogonally encrypted spatio‐temporal dual‐dimensional afterglow anti‐counterfeiting is demonstrated via these nanoparticles. It is believed that this simple method offers a foundation for new opportunities to unleash the optical performance in PLNPs. This will also pave the way to the development of such PLNPs for numerous photonic and bioapplications, which are limited in existing methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cisplatin (CDDP) is a potent first-line antitumor drug but suffers severe side effects and poor pharmacokinetics. Its complexation with polycarboxylic acids, such as polyglutamic acids, is generally used to fabricate nanoformulations for CDDP delivery; however, the multiple strong complexations makes intracellular drug release slow. Herein, we report a novel polyphenol-metal coordination method to fabricate CDDP-incorporated core-shell nanoparticles, which are stable in blood circulation but dissociate in the tumor. Methoxyl-PEG terminated with one or two gallic acids (PEG-GA or PEG-GA2) complexed CDDP and produced well-defined nanoparticles (PEG-GAx/Pt) with CDDP loading contents as high as 17.7% to 29.8%. The PEG-GAx/Pt nanoparticles were very stable in the physiological conditions and had slow blood clearance and efficient tumor accumulation, but dissociated quickly and released CDDP in response to the tumor acidity or elevated levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS). PEG-GAx/Pt nanoparticles exhibited improved antitumor efficiency against 4 T1 breast cancer and A549 lung carcinoma with much-reduced toxicity compared to free CDDP. The work demonstrates a new strategy of cisplatin-polyphenol coordination for developing platinum drugs' nanomedicines. Unlabelled Image [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plasmon-mediated photocatalytic systems often suffer from weak absorption spectra overlap which limits energy transfer between plasmon metals and semiconductors. Herein, Au–Agx@CdS90 nanoparticles (NPs) with adjustable spectral overlap were prepared. Au–Ag hollow nanoparticles (HNPs) with tunable plasmon absorption peaks were used as the template and were coated with CdS to achieve stepwise spectral overlap for enhanced energy transfer. As the spectral overlap increased between Au–Ag HNPs and CdS, the H2 evolution rate increased and then decreased. Under visible-light irradiation, Au–Ag487@CdS90 nanoparticles (NPs) delivered an H2 evolution rate of 18.73 mmol h−1 g−1, which was 2.2 times higher than pure CdS. The plasmon resonance energy transfer from Au–Ag HNPs to the CdS semiconductor increased the generation of charge carriers in the semiconductor and enhanced the photocatalytic performance. By regulating the position of the plasmon absorption peaks of the noble metal nanoparticles, changing the spectral overlap between metal and semiconductor to enhance the PRET effect is beneficial to the design of new plasmon photocatalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High internal phase Pickering emulsions (HIPPEs) stabilized by protein nanoparticles have been widely reported, but the use of enzymatic methods for preparing these nanoparticles remains underexplored. Our hypothesis is that enzymatically crosslinked α-lactalbumin (ALA) nanoparticles (ALATGs) prepared using transglutaminase will demonstrate improved properties as stabilizers for HIPPEs. In this study, we investigated the physicochemical properties and microstructures of ALATGs, finding that enzymatic crosslinking could be enhanced by removing Ca2+ ions from ALA and preheating the proteins (85 °C, 15 min). The electrical charge, secondary structure, and surface hydrophobicity of ALATGs were found to depend on crosslinking conditions. HIPPEs formed with an ALA concentration of 10 mg/mL and an enzyme activity of 120 U/g exhibited the highest apparent viscosity and mechanical strength, as well as significantly improved loading capacity and photostability for the encapsulated lycopene. Overall, our results support the hypothesis that ALATG-nanoparticles show superior performance as emulsifiers compared to ALA-nanoparticles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Highlights • CuS nanoparticles were synthesized using versatile polydopamine as bio-template. • Without additional surfactant, the nanocomposite shows favorable biocompatibility. • The integration of MRI and photothermal therapy enables more effective treatment. • The nanocomposite possesses high stability and excellent photothermal property. Abstract Copper sulfide nanoparticles(CuS NPs) have attracted considerable interest in the field of photothermal therapy(PTT) due to its low cost, easy preparation and favorable photothermal effect. However, lack of reliable visualization and relatively poor biocompatibility restrict its further bio-application. To overcome these limitations, polydopamine(PDA, a melanin-like biopolymer) stabilized CuS NPs and further chelated with iron ions (denoted as CuPDF) were designed as a versatile nanoplatform for T 1 -weighted MR imaging-guided PTT. In this system, PDA served as both bio-template to synthesis CuS NPs and an active platform to give MRI diagnostic capability. The as-prepared CuPDF NPs demonstrated strong absorption at NIR region, nearly three times higher than that of pure PDA NPs at 808 nm. Moreover, toxicity studies and histology evalution verified that CuPDF NPs possess excellent biocompatibility. In addition, CuPDF NPs showed significant MRI signal enhancement with high longitudinal relaxivity (r 1 = 4.59 mM−1 s−1). In vivo MRI and biodistribution test confirmed the efficient accumulation of CuPDF NPs in the tumor region. After intravenous injection of CuPDF, irreversible tumor ablation was successfully achieved without inducing any obvious side effects by using 808-nm laser irradiation. All in all, these results indicated that the developed CuPDF NPs hold great potential as an effective theranostic agent for MR imaging guided PTT in vivo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Super-hydrophobic coating has excellent abrasion resistances. • The coating is synthesized by pure chemical method, which can be cured in air. • The coating can be produced and constructed on a large scale to realize industrialization. In this study, a low-cost Nano-SiO 2 super-hydrophobic hybrid coating was fabricated on the surface of 2024 aluminum alloy plate by dip coating method. The composition and structure of the coating were analysed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The morphology of the coating was characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and atomic force microscope (AFM). The abrasion resistance of the coating was tested by the combination of water contact angle (WCAs) and cyclic abrasion experiments. The results identified that the maximum WCA of the coating was up to 161.6°, and the coating surface maintained the super-hydrophobic after 100 times of abrasion. This strategy shade light on the potential application in the field of solid super-hydrophobic surface industrialization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanosized cobalt (Co) powders were prepared by one-step reduction of high-energy ball milled Co oxalate dihydrate precursors. The effects of ball-milling parameters on the particle size, morphology, and crystalline structure of the resultant Co powders have been investigated. The results show that ball milling led to significant spheroidization and size decrease of the Co powders. The energy release for the twins and dislocations induced by ball milling benefited the phase transformation from Co oxalate to face-centered cubic (fcc)-Co (i.e., CoC 2 O 4 → fcc-Co). With milling time increasing, a larger amount of the fcc-Co phase was obtained due to the higher deformation energy. Nanosized Co powders were achieved after ball milling for 45 min followed by a reduction at 430 °C for 3 h under a reducing protective atmosphere. The nanosized Co powders showed optimized characteristics with an average particle size of 50.18 nm and a proportion of 70.01% of the fcc-Co phase, which is higher than the values published in previous studies to date. Image 1 • Nanosized Co powders with average size of 50.18 ± 8.62 nm and 70.01% fcc-Co were prepared. • The proportion of fcc-Co was improved by HEBM of Co oxalate dihydrate precursors. • HEBM was effective in achieving optimized size and morphology of Co powders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Paclitaxel (PTX) is a cytotoxic chemotherapy drug with encouraging activity in human malignancies. However, free PTX has a very low oral bioavailability due to its low aqueous solubility and the gastrointestinal drug barrier. In order to overcome this obstacle, we have designed erythrocyte membrane nanoparticles (EMNP) using sonication method. The permeability of PTX by EMNP was 3.5–fold ( P app = 0.425 nm/s) and 16.2–fold ( P app = 394.1 nm/s) higher than free PTX in MDCK-MDR1 cell monolayers and intestinal mucosal tissue, respectively. The in vivo pharmacokinetics indicated that the AUC 0−t (μg/mL·h) and C max (μg/mL) of EMNP were 14.2-fold and 6.0-fold higher than that of free PTX, respectively. In summary, the EMNP appears to be a promising nanoformulation to enhance the oral bioavailability of insoluble and poorly permeable drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, a series of heptaphenyl siloxane trisilanol/polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (T7-POSS) modified by polyols with different molecular weights were synthesized into liquid-like nanoparticle–organic hybrid materials using the grafted-from method. All grafted POSS nanoparticles changed from solid powders to liquid at room temperature. Polyurethane (PU) nanocomposites with POSS contents ranging from 1.75 to 9.72 wt % were prepared from these liquefied polyols-terminated POSS with polyepichlorohydrin (POSS–PECH). Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) were used to characterize the morphology of the POSS–PECH/PU nanocomposites. The results showed that the polyol-terminated POSS particles overcame the nanoagglomeration effect and evenly disperse in the polymeric matrix. The damping factor (tan δ) of resultant nanocomposites increased from 0.90 to 1.16, while the glass transition temperature decreased from 15.8 to 9.4 °C when POSS contents increased from 0 to 9.75 wt %. The gel content, tensile strength and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analyses demonstrated that the molecular thermal movement ability of the polyurethane (PU) matrix increased with increasing POSS hybrid content. Therefore, the improvement of the damping properties of the composites was mainly due to the friction-related losses occurring in the interface region between the nanoparticles and the matrix. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A simple spray approach for fabricating unique micro–nano polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane/polydimethylsiloxane (POSS/PDMS) composite coatings decorated with 3D "opened‐mouth" hollow structures is reported. The structures are formed by a template‐free self‐assembly of cuboidal POSS precursors driven by room‐temperature aerosol‐assisted process. A three‐stage mechanism is proposed to explain the formation of the structures. The morphology and performance of the coatings are controlled via the type of the carrier liquid, the content of crystalline nanoparticles (POSS), the presence of ligands, and processing temperature. Mechanically stable micro‐ or micro–nano "open‐mouth" spherical or cylindrical structures with excellent super‐hydrophobic and anti‐icing properties are formed when POSS content exceeds 5%. Such spatial geometry of interphase‐embedded hollow structures incorporates effective heat‐transfer barrier, drastically reduces surface wettability and ice adhesion, which are quantified by water freezing temperature lowered to −26.3 °C and ice adhesion to 86 kPa. A simple spray approach for fabricating unique micro–nano polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane/polydimethylsiloxane (POSS/PDMS) composite coatings decorated with 3D open‐mouth hollow structures is reported. The formation of the structures is explained by a proposed three‐stage mechanism. The morphology and performance of the coatings are tuned. The coatings decorated by mesoporous hollow micro–nano spheres with open‐mouth structure exhibit excellent super‐hydrophobic and anti‐icing properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]