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Graphical abstract A nanoplatform could perform excellent photothermal therapy and fluorescence resonance energy transfer induced photodynamic therapy for real-time photothermal imaging guided synergistic phototherapy of cancer., Highlights • Multifunctional carbon dot@SiO2@TiO2 nanoplatforms (CST NPs) were firstly fabricated. • The CST NPs possessed outstanding photodynamic ability by fluorescence resonance energy transfer effect. • The synthesized CST NPs achieved synergetic PTT and enhanced PDT both in vitro and in vivo. • The photothermal imaging property of CST NPs endowing real-time phototheranostics for tumor in vivo., For facilitating theranostic nanoplatform with multimodal therapeutic ability, we develop the core-shell structured CDs@SiO2@TiO2 nanoplatforms (CST NPs). The designed CST NPs possess excellent photothermal effect and fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) induced photodynamic property, which could achieve synergistic photothermal and photodynamic therapy. Meanwhile, the photothermal ability of CST NPs acts as a key role in the application of real-time photothermal imaging, benefitting for the diagnosis of tumor accurately. Moreover, the obtained CST NPs also exhibit outstanding sonodynamic effect with huge potential for sonodynamic therapy. Under the 650 nm laser irradiation, the synthesized CST NPs not only inhibit the growth of cancer cells in vitro, but also display precise photothermal imaging and photo-induced ablation to tumor in vivo. As a result, the prepared CST NPs may potentially serve as multifunctional nanoplatform for theranostic antitumor and pave the avenue for clinic cancer therapy.

The coexistence of ferroelectricity and luminescence in a material makes it a very interesting multifunctional material for fabricating new optoelectronic devices. As a single-component system with flexibility and structure tunability, organic–inorganic hybrid luminescent ferroelectrics are more attractive than previously reported rare-earth-doped ones. We herein report a new organic–inorganic hybrid ferroelectric, (C10H16N)2MnBr4, which exhibits ferroelectricity with a Curie temperature of 421 K and green-light emission with a high photoluminescence quantum yield (PL QY) of 88.52%. Furthermore, it shows excellent film-forming ability. The thin film with high quality can be easily prepared by a spin-coating method. These advantages make it have great potential application in optoelectronic devices.

The optoelectronic application of fluorescent lead halide perovskite (LHP) nanocrystals is limited by their poor stability in humid atmosphere. However, we found that high-quality and high-stability fluorescent perovskites embedded in PbBrOH can be synthesized via the reaction of PbBr2 with MBr (M: Cs or CH3NH3+) triggered with imidazole derivatives in water. Imidazole can etch and hydrolyze the nonluminescent MPbBr3 to form high-quality fluorescent perovskites. After the perovskites are formed, a protective PbBrOH matrix grows rapidly on the surface of the perovskite nanocrystals and acts as a water-resistant layer. The embedded fluorescent perovskites can exhibit great stability even in water, heat and UV light with a PLQY of up to 30%. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations show that the enhanced stability results from the positive energy cost of the water molecule entering the lattice of PbBrOH, which is much higher than the negative value for water entering CsPbBr3; therefore, water is prevented by the PbBrOH surface from entering the embedded fluorescent perovskite. The PbBrOH surface layer has twofold beneficial effects: (i) preventing water from entering the perovskite nanocrystals, (ii) dispersing the perovskite nanocrystals in the matrix and preventing their aggregation so that highly luminescent composites can be formed. Our strategy opens a new avenue for the development of high-efficiency and high-stability fluorescent inorganic and organic perovskites.

Great attention has been paid to organic–inorganic hybrids in searching for single-phase multiferroics because of their flexible structure design. Here, a new [CuCl4]2− based organic–inorganic hybrid, (bix)CuCl4·H2O (bix = 1,4-bis(imidazol-1-ylmethyl)benzene), is synthesized via a simple solution method. Different from most [CuCl4]2− based organic–inorganic hybrids, tetrahedral [CuCl4]2− units in (bix)CuCl4·H2O are connected to each other through water molecules and form one dimensional chains. The coexistence of ferroelectric and antiferromagnetic ordering in (bix)CuCl4·H2O is demonstrated. Its spontaneous polarization and coercive field at room temperature are 2.03 μC cm−2 and 0.32 kV cm−1, respectively. Furthermore, (bix)CuCl4·H2O films with high quality can be easily prepared, which makes them suitable for application in device fabrication.

The transition metal dichalcogenide MoS2 shows good catalytic properties for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). However, the HER activity of 2D MoS2 is limited by its poor electrical conductivity. Bi2Se3 nanosheets are topological insulators possessing metallic surface states, thereby displaying unconventional electron dynamics and excellent conductivity. Therefore, combining Bi2Se3 nanosheets and with MoS2 nanosheets represents a rational approach for improving the HER activity of MoS2. In this work, Bi2Se3 nanoflowers were first synthesized via a hot injection method, followed by the slow growth of MoS2 nanosheets on their surface to form heterostructured MoS2@Bi2Se3 nanoflowers. Compared to pristine Bi2Se3 and MoS2, the MoS2@Bi2Se3 nanoflowers exhibited outstanding HER activity in acidic media with an onset overpotential of 134 mV, an overpotential of 208 mV at 10 mA/cm2, a Tafel slope of 57 mV/dec and remarkable stability. The enhanced HER catalytic activity offered by the MoS2@Bi2Se3 nanoflowers is attributed excellent electron transfer from Bi2Se3 to MoS2, as well as the abundance of edge-rich MoS2 nanosheets vertically aligned on the Bi2Se3 support that act as H2 evolution sites.

The development of efficient, stable and low-cost electrocatalysts for the alkaline hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is critical for large-scale, economically viable water splitting. In this work, we successfully prepared non-precious metal CoB@MoS2 hybrid electrocatalysts for the HER in alkaline media by the reductive growth of cobalt boride nanoparticles (CoB NPs) on the surface of MoS2 nanoflowers (MoS2 NFs). The CoB@MoS2-0.5–300 hybrid showed an HER overpotential of only 146 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm−2 and a Tafel slope of 80.9 mV dec−1 in 1.0 M KOH solution. The significantly enhanced HER activity of the hybrid is primarily attributable to the ability of CoB to drive the OER in alkaline solution and improved electrical conductivity of the hybrid electrocatalyst relative to the pristine MoS2. Furthermore, the synthetic strategy used to prepare the CoB@MoS2 electrocatalyst was successfully applied to prepare NiB@MoS2 and FeB@MoS2 hybrid electrocatalysts, which similarly showed very good HER activity in 1.0 M KOH solution. Thus, this work conclusively demonstrates that the introduction of transition metal borides is an effective approach for enhancing the HER performance of MoS2 in alkaline media.

Hydrogen production from water splitting through electrocatalytic or photoelectrochemical route shows great potential for renewable energy conversion. Herein, the plasmon-enhanced photoelectrical nanocatalysts (NCs) have been successfully developed by Au nanoparticle-decorated Bi2Se3 nanoflowers (Au@Bi2Se3 NFs) as catalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), leading to a more than 3-fold increase of current under excitation of Au localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) and affording a markedly decreased overpotential of 375 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm−2. The HER enhancement can be largely attributed to effective electron-charge separation and the increase of carrier density in Bi2Se3 induced by the injection of hot electrons of Au nanoparticles. Meanwhile, Bi2Se3 nanoflowers (NFs), a kind of topological insulators, possess gapless edges on boundary and show metallic character on surface, providing a path for the flow of electrons in the electrocatalytic system. This study opens up a new avenue towards the design of higher energy conversion catalytic water splitting systems with the assistance of light energy, which could increase of HER catalysis efficiency by plasmonic excitation.

We report here the synthesis of hybrid manganese halide crystals, (C4H7N2)MnCl3 · H2O and (C4H7N2)2MnCl4, by using the same organic ligand 2-methylimidazole. Upon heating treatment, the red-emissive (C4H7N2)MnCl3 · H2O crystal is structurally transformed into green-emissive (C4H7N2)2MnCl4 crystal in situ. The crystal structural analysis reveals that the [MnCl5 · H2O]3− octahedra chains decompose into mono [MnCl4]2− tetrahedra, accompanied by the departure of H2O molecules. Upon cooling in air or water vapor, the crystal structure and luminescence of (C4H7N2)2MnCl4 are transformed to those of (C4H7N2)MnCl3 · H2O. The in situ conversion of luminescence between (C4H7N2)MnCl3 · H2O and (C4H7N2)2MnCl4 provides new insight into the potential application of hybrid manganese halides.

Guangtao Sun,1,* Xunzhong Qi,1,* Wei Wang,1,* Xintong Li,1,* Chunhua Luo,2,* Sunjie Bai,3 Shaohua Xu,2 Xiaogang Zhong,4 Chenglong Huang,5 Xiaofeng Zhu,6 Zuoyi Huang1 1Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jiamusi University, Jiamusi, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Laboratory Medicine, Yichang Central People’s Hospital, The First College of Clinical Medical Science, Three Gorges University, Hubei, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Laboratory Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, People’s Republic of China; 4Key Laboratory of Psychoseomadsy, Stomatological Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, People’s Republic of China; 5Department of Laboratory Medicine, University-Town Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, People’s Republic of China; 6Mudanjiang Medical College, Mudanjiang, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Zuoyi Huang Email huangzuoyi_jms@163.comIntroduction: Prefrontal cortex (PFC) and striatal neurotransmitter homeostasis is affected by alcohol dependence. In this study, the microarray dataset from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database were downloaded. The prefrontal and striatum data were cross-analyzed to reveal the co-effects of alcohol dependence on the two brain regions of mice.Methods: The GSE123114 microarray profile was downloaded from the GEO database, and differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between the two groups were acquired by GEO2R. KEGG analyses were performed to identify the pivotal pathways of these DEGs. Key differential gene expressions and their mechanism associated with alcohol exposure were investigated by an intraperitoneal alcohol model.Results: A total of 13 overlapping DEGs from the PFC and striatal datasets of the GSE123114 microarray profile were identified, and they were significantly enriched in the morphine addiction pathway. The transcript levels and protein expression of Gabrb3 were consistent with the microarray data both in the PFC and striatum. The transcript levels of HMGB1, TLR4, TNFα and IL-1β were upregulated in the PFC and striatum of mice in the alcohol group. The HMGB1 inhibitor decreased Gabrb3 transcript and protein levels as well as TNFα and IL-1β transcript levels both in the PFC and striatum in the intraperitoneal alcohol model mice.Discussion: Through the reanalysis of GSE123114 microarray profile, we found that Gabrb3 is a key gene associated with alcohol exposure. In further experiments, our findings suggest that alcohol exposure modulates Gabrb3 expression through the HMGB1/TLR4 pathway. Moreover, inflammation-associated factors, such as IL-1β and TNFα, may be related to the HMGB1/TLR4-mediated regulation of GABRB3 expression in alcohol exposure.Keywords: alcohol exposure, prefrontal cortex, striatum, Gabrb3, HMGB1/TLR4 pathway

Waterborne polymers are advantageous in terms of cost, convenience, sustainability, and environmental friendliness. As lead halide perovskite (LHP) nanocrystals suffer from fast degradation in the presence of water, it is challenging to encapsulate LHP nanocrystals in waterborne polymers. In this work, luminescent MAPbBr

In recent years, great efforts are paying to design and understand the origins of elastic flexibility of molecular crystals. In this work, we investigate the elastic flexibility of two ferroelectric supramolecular co-crystals, phenazine-chloranilic acid (Phz-H2ca) and phenazine-bromanilic acid (Phz-H2ba) for the first time. Both of them show good elastic flexibility while the flexibility of the Phz-H2ca co-crystal is better. The measurements of mechanical properties show that the Phz-H2ca co-crystal has larger elastic modulus and smaller hardness value than the Phz-H2ba co-crystal. The bent co-crystal still keeps the ferroelectric properties. The Raman spectra reveal that the weak hydrogen-bond, halogen-bond and π···π stacking interactions contribute to the observed elastic flexibility of the co-crystals.

This paper was aimed to introduce and compare outcomes of a novel “Su-Wang (S-W) technique” for endoscopic treatment of adult hydrocele with conventional open hydrocelectomy with “Jaboulay’s (JA) procedure” regarding adverse events (AEs) and patient satisfaction. In the randomized controlled trial, adult males with primary hydroceles were prospectively assigned into S-W or JA group. We recorded perioperative data and postoperative AEs (incision length, recurrence, hematoma, wound infection and edema vanished time). Finally, a total of 42 adult patients underwent the S-W (n = 22) or JA (n = 20) procedure. Procedures were successfully completed for all 42 patients. No significant differences were found between the two groups regarding age, symptom duration, body mass index, and size of the hydrocele. The incision length was significantly shorter in the S-W group (1.00 ± 0.24 cm) than in the JA group (6.10 ± 1.46 cm). After 6 months’ follow-up, complete data of 90.5% (38/42) were obtained. Severe AEs did not occur in any patient. Recurrence, hematoma, wound infection, edema vanished time values, and satisfaction in the S-W group were superior to those in the JA group. All patients in the S-W group were satisfied with this novel procedure, particularly due to the minimally invasive incision. In conclusion, the novel “S-W technique” for hydrocelectomy provided satisfactory cosmetic results with a 1-cm scrotal incision only. With the near-complete excision of the parietal TV, it resulted in no recurrence, fewer AEs, and rapid postoperative rehabilitation in comparison to the traditional “JA procedure.” The endoscopic “S-W technique” may be a viable alternative for the surgical treatment of adult primary vaginal hydrocele.

Because of the anomalous co-deposition, the preparation of Ni content controllable Zn Ni sacrificial coatings with excellent corrosion resistance from aqueous solutions is a great challenge. In this paper, a novel method was developed to deposit Ni content controllable Zn Ni coating by adding appropriate water (0–7 wt%) to the deep eutectic solvent. It was found that the electrochemical windows of ChCl-2urea deep eutectic solvent were nearly unchanged when the water content was Ni alloy can ranged from ~96 wt% to ~4 wt% by regulating the water content and deposition potential. The Zn alloy coating with ~14 wt% Ni and single γ phase exhibited the best protective effects to carbon steel, which was deposited from reline-5 wt% water at −1.2 V. Deep eutectic solvent-water system provides a promising way of preparing Zn Ni alloy coatings with controlled composition and excellent corrosion resistance.

Background:The molecular mechanisms or valuable biomarkers for early diagnosis of colorectal cancer (CRC) are not fully elucidated yet.Objective:To understand the proteomic changes at the global level in the carcinogenesis of CRC, differentially expressed proteins between normal intestinal epithelial cells CCD841 and colorectal cancer cells HCT116 were identified.Method:The isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ) coupled with 2D LC-MS/MS proteomic approach were performed for screening the altered proteins between cells CCD841 and HCT116.Results:A total of 1947 proteins were identified after filtering and using a 1% false discovery rate. Based on a final cutoff (> 3.16 and < 0.32), 229 proteins were found to be significantly altered, among which 95 (41%) were up-regulated while 134 (59%) were down-regulated. Gene Ontology analysis revealed that the differentially expressed proteins were mainly cell part proteins involved in cellular process and binding in terms of subcellular distribution, biological process, and molecular function. KEGG analysis indicated that the differentially expressed proteins were significantly involved in the process of focal adhesion, pathogenic Escherichia coli infection, leukocyte transendothelial migration, bacterial invasion of epithelial cells, regulation of actin cytoskeleton, DNA replication and so on.Conclusion:Collectively, our data identified differentially expressed proteins in colon cancer carcinogenesis, which could provide the clues on unraveling the molecular mechanism of CRC.

The catalytic activities of three topotactic phase strontium cobaltites (SCO, hexagonal, orthorhombic and tetragonal) for H2O2 decomposition were studied. All they present excellent catalytic activity with good stability at cycled test, and the mesoporous tetragonal SCO exhibits the best activity. Detailed kinetic research indicates the zero-order process of H2O2 decomposition. Increasing the temperature will accelerate the reactions greatly with the controlled temperature in the range of 20–45 °C. The calculated active energy (Ea) for H-SCO, O-SCO and T-SCO is 93.2, 85.1 and 87.5 (kJ/mol), respectively. The efficient catalytic degradation of Rhodamine B illustrates that SCO is a kind of promising catalysis for the advanced oxidation process.

Artificial synaptic devices are the hardware basis of highly efficient neuromorphic networks with low energy consumption. Great challenges still remain in this research field, like improving the response speed, reducing the energy consumption, and exploring new materials and working principles. In this work, we synthesize a new terthiophene monomer functionalized with a conjugated acrylic acid group (MTAA). The electropolymerization of MTAA results in the formation of a three-dimensional network of conducting polymer nanowires (PMTAA). Based on this nanowire network, a two-terminal artificial synaptic device with multilevel conductance states is fabricated. The device is successfully used to emulate important biological synaptic functions, including paired-pulse facilitation (PPF), spike rate-dependent plasticity (SRDP) and spike timing-dependent plasticity (STDP). The carboxyl groups in the polymer provide a possible way to fast neutralize the positively charged polymer backbone during the oxidation process, which results in the fast response of the device to electrical pulses with an ultralow energy consumption of 6.9 fJ per synaptic event.

Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) are able to differentiate into functional hepatocytelike cells, which are expected to serve as a potential cell source in regenerative medicine, tissue engineering, and clinical treatment of liver injury. Little is known about whether and how space microgravity is able to direct the hepatogenic differentiation of BMSCs in the actual space microenvironment. In this study, we examined the effects of space microgravity on BMSC hepatogenic differentiation on board the SJ-10 Recoverable Scientific Satellite. Rat BMSCs were cultured and induced in hepatogenic induction medium for 3 and 10 d in custom-made space cell culture hardware. Cell growth was monitored periodically in orbit, and the fixed cells and collected supernatants were retrieved back to the Earth for further analyses. Data indicated that space microgravity improves the differentiating capability of the cells by up-regulating hepatocyte-specific albumin and cytokeratin 18. The resulting cells tended to be maturated, with an in-orbit period of up to 10 d. In space, mechanosensitive molecules of β1-integrin, β-actin, α-tubulin, and Ras homolog gene family member A presented enhanced expression, whereas those of cell-surface glycoprotein CD44, intercellular adhesion molecule 1, vascular cell adhesion molecule 1, vinculin, cell division control protein 42 homolog, and Rho-associated coiled-coil kinase yielded reduced expression. Also observed in space were the depolymerization of actin filaments and the accumulation of microtubules and vimentin through the altered expression and location of focal adhesion complexes, Rho guanosine 5'-triphosphatases, as well as the enhanced exosome-mediated mRNA transfer. This work furthers the understanding of the underlying mechanisms of space microgravity in directing hepatogenic differentiation of BMSCs.-Lü, D., Sun, S., Zhang, F., Luo, C., Zheng, L., Wu, Y., Li, N., Zhang, C., Wang, C., Chen, Q., Long, M. Microgravity-induced hepatogenic differentiation of rBMSCs on board the SJ-10 satellite.

Electromagnetic (EM) coupling between radio frequency (RF) coils is a common cause of coil performance degradation and must be sufficiently reduced in the design of RF coils. The EM field simulation is a primary tool in analyzing the coupling condition and optimizing the decoupling method. A theoretical analysis of co-simulation under the conditions of strongly coupled RF coils is proposed in this paper. The proposed co-simulation method is evaluated through the comparison with the conventional simulation methods in terms of the efficiency and of the EM fields and specific absorption rate (SAR) of a two-channel strongly coupled coil array. The results demonstrate that the proposed co-simulation method saves approximately 94.5% of the total simulation time for strongly coupled coil arrays while the EM field and SAR variation is less than 4%. As a method demonstration, the proposed co-simulation method was used to analyze the capacitance decoupling of adjacent coils with the scattering matrix and saves about 95.78% of the total simulation time for the optimization of decoupling capacitors.

Stretchable and self-healing polymer gels with luminescent property are very promising materials for next generation soft optical devices. This work presents the preparation of self-healing and luminescent polymer gels by simply blending organometal halide perovskite nanocrystals (OHP NCs) with poly(dimethylsiloxane)-urea copolymer (PDMS-urea). On the one hand, the obtained luminescent gels are not only flexible, stretchable and relatively transparent, they also exhibit excellent self-healing capability due to the reversible hydrogen bonding network in the PDMS-urea copolymer. On the other hand, the embedding of OHP NCs (MAPbBr3 and MAPbI3 NCs) inside the hydrophobic PDMS-urea gel greatly improved the photoluminescence stability of OHP NCs against water. Their applications as phosphors for LEDs have been demonstrated. Both the MAPbBr3/PDMS-urea gel and MAPbI3/PDMS-urea gel can fully convert the blue emission of GaN chip to green and red emissions, respectively. These gels can be used as photoluminescent materials in flexible optical devices with good self-healing capability.

Owe to their advantages of unique electronic structure, physical flexibility and easy processability, conducting polymers are considered as one of the most competitive candidates for organic synaptic devices. However, conventional organic synaptic devices are based on electric modulation or three-terminal structure which are not conducive to construction of neural networks with high integration density. Here, a two-terminal organic optoelectronic device based on poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) is prepared via a simple spin-coating method. The fabricated synaptic device shows sensitive response to the light stimuli and successfully simulates the basic functions of biological synapse, such as excitatory postsynaptic current (EPSC), pair-pulse facilitation (PPF). Furthermore, the capabilities of simulating “learning-experience” behavior, detecting and memorizing the integrated optical information are also realized by this artificial synapse.

Importance While the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has resulted in more than 100 000 infected individuals in China and worldwide, there are few reports on the association of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) with ocular abnormalities. Understanding ocular manifestations of patients with COVID-19 by ophthalmologists and others may facilitate the diagnosis and prevention of transmission of the disease. Objective To investigate ocular manifestations and viral prevalence in the conjunctiva of patients with COVID-19. Design, Setting, and Participants In this case series, patients with COVID-19 treated from February 9 to 15, 2020, at a hospital center in Hubei province, China, were retrospectively reviewed for ocular manifestations. During the period of treatment, the ocular signs and symptoms as well as results of blood tests and reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) from nasopharyngeal and conjunctival swabs for SARS-CoV-2 were noted and analyzed. Main Outcomes and Measures Ocular signs and symptoms as well as results of blood tests and RT-PCR for SARS-CoV-2. Results Of the 38 included patients with clinically confirmed COVID-19, 25 (65.8%) were male, and the mean (SD) age was 65.8 (16.6) years. Among them, 28 patients (73.7%) had positive findings for COVID-19 on RT-PCR from nasopharyngeal swabs, and of these, 2 patients (5.2%) yielded positive findings for SARS-CoV-2 in their conjunctival as well as nasopharyngeal specimens. A total of 12 of 38 patients (31.6%; 95% CI, 17.5-48.7) had ocular manifestations consistent with conjunctivitis, including conjunctival hyperemia, chemosis, epiphora, or increased secretions. By univariate analysis, patients with ocular symptoms were more likely to have higher white blood cell and neutrophil counts and higher levels of procalcitonin, C-reactive protein, and lactate dehydrogenase than patients without ocular symptoms. In addition, 11 of 12 patients with ocular abnormalities (91.7%; 95% CI, 61.5-99.8) had positive results for SARS-CoV-2 on RT-PCR from nasopharyngeal swabs. Of these, 2 (16.7%) had positive results for SARS-CoV-2 on RT-PCR from both conjunctival and nasopharyngeal swabs. Conclusions and Relevance In this study, one-third of patients with COVID-19 had ocular abnormalities, which frequently occurred in patients with more severe COVID-19. Although there is a low prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in tears, it is possible to transmit via the eyes.

The development of efficient, stable and low-cost electrocatalysts for the alkaline hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is critical for large-scale, economically viable water splitting. In this work, we successfully prepared non-precious metal CoB@MoS2 hybrid electrocatalysts for the HER in alkaline media by the reductive growth of cobalt boride nanoparticles (CoB NPs) on the surface of MoS2 nanoflowers (MoS2 NFs). The CoB@MoS2-0.5-300 hybrid showed an HER overpotential of only 146 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm-2 and a Tafel slope of 80.9 mV dec-1 in 1.0 M KOH solution. The significantly enhanced HER activity of the hybrid is primarily attributable to the ability of CoB to drive the OER in alkaline solution and improved electrical conductivity of the hybrid electrocatalyst relative to the pristine MoS2. Furthermore, the synthetic strategy used to prepare the CoB@MoS2 electrocatalyst was successfully applied to prepare NiB@MoS2 and FeB@MoS2 hybrid electrocatalysts, which similarly showed very good HER activity in 1.0 M KOH solution. Thus, this work conclusively demonstrates that the introduction of transition metal borides is an effective approach for enhancing the HER performance of MoS2 in alkaline media.

Arthritis remains the notion of a hard-to-treat disease that raises an area of unmet clinical need. The phytomedicine tripterine (Tri) and trace element selenium (Se) have been shown to be of anti-inflammatory activity. This study was devoted to develop nanomedicine containing Tri and Se used for fighting against arthritis via a coordination mechanism. Se-deposited Tri phytosomes (Se@Tri-PTs) were prepared by a melting-hydration/in situ reduction technique and characterized by particle size, ζ potential, morphology, and entrapment efficiency (EE). The resultant Se@Tri-PTs were 126 nm around in particle size with an EE of 98.85%. Se@Tri-PTs exhibited a sustained drug release both in 0.1 M HCl and pH 6.8 PBS compared with Se-free phytosomes (Tri-PTs). The in vivo antiarthritic test demonstrated that Se@Tri-PTs could result in significant resolution of arthritis and decline of inflammatory factors. Phytosomes primely facilitated the transepithelial transport of Tri, while Se enhanced the antiarthritic efficacy of the phytomedicine synergistically. The present work provides a proof-of-concept for the combined therapy of arthritis using Tri and Se in the form of nanoparticles.

The effects of halogen substitution on microstructure, optical absorption, and phonon modes for perovskite CH 3 NH 3 PbX 3 (MAPbX3, X = I/Br/Cl) films grown on FTO substrates have been investigated. The X-ray diffraction analysis exhibited good crystallization, and the strong diffraction peak assigned to ( 1 0 0 ) c for X = Br/Cl shifted toward a higher angle compared to ( 1 1 0 ) t of MAPbI3. Band-gap tuning from 1.63 to 2.37 to 3.11 eV in the I-Br-Cl series can be found due to the halogen effects. These energy values closely match the positions of peak determined from photoluminescence experiments. The remarkable absorption dip and emission peak appear for the MAPbBr3, suggesting higher crystallinity under the same preparation conditions. The wavenumbers of main IR-vibrations slightly decrease with ionic radius of the halogen increasing (in the order of Cl-Br-I), which related to the increasing polarizability. These results provide important progress towards the understanding of the halide role in the realization of high performance MAPbX3-based solar cells.

Poly(vinylidene fluoride/trifluoroethylene) (PVDF-TrFE) as a representative organic piezoelectric material have recently attracted wide attention. However, low dielectric permittivity limits its applications. We successfully prepared transparent PVDF-TrFE/graphene oxide (GO) ultrathin films. The addition of GO greatly improved the dielectric properties of PVDF-TrFE. The dielectric constant of the composite film is almost three times of that of the PVDF-TrFE film with the addition of 0.1 wt. % of GO nanosheets. Furthermore, the composite film also exhibits enhanced energy harvesting performance. The electric generator based on the PVDF-TrFE/ GO ultrathin film shows an output voltages of 49 mV under a pressure of 3.06 KPa. The advantages of transparence, flexibility and better energy harvesting performance make PVDF-TrFE/GO composite films much more attractive in promising applications of nano/micro electronic devices.

Bi 2 O 3 nanoparticles are prepared by using a facile solution-based thermal decomposition method assisted by oleylamine. These Bi 2 O 3 nanoparticles self assemble into nanobelts. The reaction time and temperature affect self-assembly behaviour of the Bi 2 O 3 nanoparticles. Increasing the reaction time or temperature results in the larger size of nanoparticles, which leads to failure of formation of nanobelts. It is illustrated that oleylamine and the size of nanoparticles play key roles in the self-assembly of nanoparticles. Based on the experimental results, a formation mechanism of the self-assembled nanobelts was proposed and this method may be extended to fabrication of other metal oxide nanobelts.

An efficient nitrate/HCl chemical exfoliation system for rapid production of MoS 2 and WS 2 nanosheets were presented here. After exfoliation in the NaNO 3 /HCl solution with the assistant of ultrasonication, MoS 2 and WS 2 nanosheets were produced with yields of 58% and 52%, respectively. The morphologies and crystallinity of MoS 2 and WS 2 nanosheets were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy and X-ray diffraction spectroscopy. This efficient exfoliation method is based on the synergy effects of surface etching, insertion of ions and eruption of gas bubbles. The MoS 2 and WS 2 nanosheets exhibited improved catalytic activity toward the oxygen-reduction reaction.

In this study, MoS2 nanosheets were first prepared by exfoliating its bulk material in HCl/LiNO3 solution with a yield of 45%, and then a facile strategy was developed to synthesize polyaniline/MoS2 (PANI/MoS2) nanocomposite via in situ polymerization. Structural and morphological characterizations of MoS2 nanosheets and the nanocomposite were investigated by scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), and X-ray powder diffraction. The results of SEM illustrated that orderly sawtooth polyaniline (PANI) nanoarrays were formed on the surface of MoS2 nanosheets. The nanocomposite displayed good electrochemical performance as a supercapacitor electrode material. The specific capacitance reached 560 F/g at a current density of 1.0 A g−1 in 1.0 M H2SO4 solution. Such good performance is because that the MoS2 nanosheets provided a highly electrolytic accessible surface area for redox-active PANI and a direct path for electrons.

Combination of excellent optical properties and ferroelectricity of hybrid materials leads to high-performance optoelectronic devices. Here we present a new organic–inorganic hybrid compound (diisopropylammonium)2MnBr4 (DIPA2MnBr4) which shows high temperature ferroelectricity accompanied by highly efficient green-light emission. DIPA2MnBr4 also exhibits sensitive and selective optical response to alcohol vapors.

Organometal halide perovskites, as promising semiconductor materials for achieving future low-cost optoelectronic devices, suffer from inherent instability and undergo extremely fast degradation under exposure to moisture, UV light, or high temperature. Herein, we present a facile and low cost approach for the preparation of perovskite-based composite films via blending CH3NH3PbBr3 nanocrystals (MAPbBr3 NCs) with two kinds of commercially available silicone resins. The highest photoluminescence quantum yield of the prepared composite films is up to 62%. The composite films of MAPbBr3 NCs with phenyl methyl silicon resin (PMSR) show unprecedented stability against water, heat and UV exposure. Their applications as paints or as phosphors for the fabrication of green and white light LEDs are demonstrated.

Phosphorous doped carbon dots (P-CDs) are prepared by a one-step hydrothermal method. The phenomenon of aggregation induced red shift emission (AIRSE) is observed in the obtained P-CDs. The emission wavelength of a P-CD solution can be tuned in the range from 455 nm to 595 nm by changing the solution concentration.

Physiologically, four major types of hepatic cells - the liver sinusoidal endothelial cells, Kupffer cells, hepatic stellate cells, and hepatocytes - reside inside liver sinusoids and interact with flowing peripheral cells under blood flow. It is hard to mimic an in vivo liver sinusoid due to its complex multiple cell-cell interactions, spatiotemporal construction, and mechanical microenvironment. Here we developed an in vitro liver sinusoid chip by integrating the four types of primary murine hepatic cells into two adjacent fluid channels separated by a porous permeable membrane, replicating liver's key structures and configurations. Each type of cells was identified with its respective markers, and the assembled chip presented the liver-specific unique morphology of fenestration. The flow field in the liver chip was quantitatively analyzed by computational fluid dynamics simulations and particle tracking visualization tests. Intriguingly, co-culture and shear flow enhance albumin secretion independently or cooperatively, while shear flow alone enhances HGF production and CYP450 metabolism. Under lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulations, the hepatic cell co-culture facilitated neutrophil recruitment in the liver chip. Thus, this 3D-configured in vitro liver chip integrates the two key factors of shear flow and the four types of primary hepatic cells to replicate key structures, hepatic functions, and primary immune responses and provides a new in vitro model to investigate the short-duration hepatic cellular interactions under a microenvironment mimicking the physiology of a liver.

The Escherichia coli aspartate aminotransferase gene was introduced into a high 2-phenylethanol (2-PEA) producing Saccharomyces cerevisiae YS58, and the recombinant strain of S. cerevisiae was utilized for the co-production of 2-PEA and l-homophenylalanine (L-HPA) via a fermentation process. The L-HPA productivity of the recombinant S. cerevisiae improved 78.9% in comparison to the wild-type S. cerevisiae. High yields of 43.7 mM L-HPA and 32.4 mM 2-PEA were achieved. As a result, the coupling of the biosynthesis process for these two products in the recombinant strain led to a more complete and efficient utilization of the substrate, l-phenylalanine.

Thermosensitive PNIPAM-coated Au nanoparticles (AuNPs@P(NIPAM-co-MADMAC)) were synthesized by the radical “grafting through” copolymerization of 4-methacryloyloxy-4′-dimethylaminochalcone (MADMAC), MAEL-capped AuNPs and N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM) using azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) as the initiator. AuNPs@P(NIPAM-co-MADMAC) were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. AuNPs@P(NIPAM-co-MADMAC) exhibited thermo-sensitivity from poly(NIPAM-co-MADMAC) chains and sensitive fluorescence from the MADMAC group. AuNPs@P(NIPAM-co-MADMAC) showed weak fluorescence after the temperature increased from 25°C to 45°C, or after β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) was added. Furthermore, it exhibited strong fluorescence when the solvent was changed to ethanol or chloroform.

Two types of thermosensitive polymer-modified gold nanoparticles (GNPs), P(DMAM-co-MADMAC)-modified GNPs (GNPs@PDM) and P(NIPAM-co-MADMAC)-modified GNPs (GNPs@PNM), are fabricated by the “grafting through” polymerization technique. The as-prepared GNPs are characterized by UV–vis, TEM, XPS, TGA, FT-IR and 1H NMR spectroscopy. The thermosensitivity and fluorescence of the GNPs are investigated. It is found that all GNPs aqueous solutions but GNPs@PDM1 exhibit thermosensitivity originated from thermosensitive polymer chains and sensitive fluorescence from the dimethylaminochalcone group. The lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of the GNPs decreases with the increasing content of MADMAC unit in the GNPs. The GNPs aqueous solution shows weak fluorescence after the temperature increases from 25 °C to 45 °C, or after β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) is added. Furthermore, it exhibits strong fluorescence when the solvent is changed to ethanol or chloroform, and the fluorescent wavelength undergoes a blue shift from ethanol to chloroform.

A series of pyrenyl-containing PDMAA copolymers were prepared by free radical copolymerization of dimethylacrylamide (DMAA) with pyrenebutanoyloxy ethyl methacrylate (PyBEMA). The structure of as-prepared copolymers was characterized by UV, FT-IR and 1H NMR spectroscopy. The effect of cyclodextrins (&alpha, CD, &beta, CD and &gamma, CD) on the thermosensitivity and fluorescence of the copolymers in aqueous solutions were investigated. It was found that the as-prepared copolymers exhibit lower critical solution temperature (LCST)-type thermosensitivity. Cloud point (Tcp) decreases with the increasing molar content of PyBEMA unit in the copolymers. Tcp of the copolymers increases after the CD is added from half molar to equivalent amount relative to pyrenyl moiety, and that further adding twice equivalent CD results in a slight decrease in Tcp. The copolymers exhibit a pyrene emission located at 377 nm and a broad excimer emission centered at 470 nm. The copolymers in water present a stronger excimer emission (Intensity IE) relative to monomer emission (Intensity IM) than that in ethanol. The IE/IM values decrease after the addition of equivalent &alpha, CD into the copolymers in aqueous solution, respectively. The IE/IM values abruptly increase as the copolymers&rsquo, concentration is over 0.2 mg/L whether in ethanol solution or aqueous solution with or without CD, from which can probably be inferred that intra-polymeric pyrene aggregates dominate for solution concentration below 0.2 mg/L and inter-polymeric pyrene aggregates dominate over 0.2 mg/L. Furthermore, the formation of the CD pseudopolyrotaxanes makes it possible to form pyrene aggregates. For high concentration of 5 g/L, the copolymers and their inclusion complexes completely exhibit an excimer emission. The IE values abruptly increased as the temperature went up to Tcp, which indicates that the IE values can be used to research phase separation of polymers.

Luminescent (trimethylbromomethyl) ammonium lead tribromide ((TMBM)PbBr3) nanocrystals are synthesized by a green single-step mechano-grinding method in large scale. The photoluminescence quantum yield (PL QY) of the obtained (TMBM)PbBr3 nanocrystals is 2.61 %. The luminescence of the nanocrystals can be significantly enhanced by introducing water or methanol during the grinding process. The maximum PL QYs of 7.65 % and 4.69 % are obtained for the nanocrystals prepared by the addition of water and methanol, respectively. The emission light of (TMBM)PbBr3 nanocrystals can be tuned by the doping of chloride ion.

The adhesion of superhydrophobic surface is closely correlated with its surface structures. As a new class of high-efficient green solvents, deep eutectic solvents are widely used to deposit superhydrophobic materials. However, there are still no reports of the electrodeposition of high-adhesive superhydrophobic materials from deep eutectic solvent. Herein, a simple method (free-template) is developed to fabricate an ordered hierarchical structured superhydrophobic Zn/Zn stearate coating with superior corrosion resistance from deep eutectic solvent. The Zn/Zn stearate-4 coating is composed of numerous orderly arranged pure Zn micro-slices and tens of thousands of Zn stearate nano-concaves. The unique structures show excellent superhydrophobic (164.8 ± 0.6°) and high adhesive performances due to the synergetic effect of strong capillary adsorption effect, large van der Waals' forces and quasi-continuous three-phase contact lines. The maximum value of water droplet that can be pinned on the overturned Zn/Zn stearate-4 surface is 30 μL. This work provides a new strategy to fabricate ultra-high adhesive superhydrophobic metal coating, which is promising for the application in microfluidic devices.

In this paper, a novel hydrazide compound (N'-(1,3 dimethylbutylene)-3-hydroxy-naphthohydrazide) (BMH) was synthesized by a simple three-stage reaction and its chemical structure was confirmed by 1H NMR, 13C NMR and FTIR characterization. This compound was used as fluorescent sensor for the detection of Ni2+ based on photoluminescence quenching. The fluorescence quenching of BMH upon the addition of Ni2+ is due to the formation of coordination complex which was verified by bind model and density functional theory studies. The Ni2+ concentration dependent fluorescence quenching efficiency of BMH was examined and the detection conditions were optimized. There is a good linear relationship between the emission intensity quenching (ΔF = F0–F) and the Ni2+ concentration (c) between 80 nM and 2 μM and the detection limit is 60 nM. The simple preparation of the compound BMH and the high sensitivity of the fluorescent sensor hold great promise for the determination of Ni2+ in environment.

A facile one-pot strategy has been developed for the aqueous synthesis of Gd doped CdTe (Gd:CdTe) QDs as fluorescence and magnetic resonance imaging dual-modal agent. The prepared Gd:CdTe QDs showed narrow size distribution and the average size was less than 5nm. The amount of Gd(3+) dopant in Gd:CdTe QDs significantly affected the optical properties of obtained QDs. The highest PL QY for the prepared Gd:CdTe QDs was up to 42.5%. The QDs showed the weak toxicity and significant enhancement in MRI signal. The specific relaxivity value (r1) was determined to be 4.22mM(-1)s(-1). These properties make the prepared Gd:CdTe QDs be an effective dual-modal imaging agent and have great potential applications in biomedical field.

Background: Kaempferol, a natural flavonoid, has been shown to induce cancer cell apoptosis and cell growth inhibition in several tumors. Previously we have conducted a full investigation on the chemical constituents of Gynura medica, kaempferol and its glycosides are the major constituents of G. medica. Here we investigated the growth inhibition and apoptosis induction effect of kaempferol extracted from G. medica. Materials and Methods: The inhibition effects of kaempferol were evaluated by MTS assay and soft agar colony formation assay. Fluorescence staining and western blotting were be used to study the apoptosis. The structure was identified by 1H- NMR), 13C-NMR and ESI-MS analyses. Results: Our results showed that kaempferol’s inhibition of MCF-7 breast cancer cell growth may through inducing apoptosis and downregulation of Bcl2 expression. Conclusion: Kaempferol is a promising cancer preventive and therapeutic agent for breast cancer. List of non-standard abbreviations: MTS: 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-5-(3-carboxymethoxyphenyl)-2-(4-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium, HPLC: High-performance liquid chromatography, NMR: Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, ESI-MS Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectral, PARP: Poly ADP-ribose polymerase

Four types of luminescent nitrogen-doped carbon dots (C-dots) are prepared by using glucose (G) or citric acid (C) as carbon source, and dopamine (D) or 4,7,10-trioxa-1,13-tridecanediamine (T) as nitrogen source, named GD-C-dots, GT-C-dots, CD-C-dots and CT-C-dots. The investigation on the optical, pH-sensitivity and photovoltaic properties of these C-dots illustrates that nitrogen source plays a key role in the properties of obtained C-dots. GD-C-dots and CD-C-dots show interesting electrochemical activities, which can provide fluorescent and electrochemical dual signals for practical applications. We demonstrate that not only the optical properties but also other physicochemical properties can be tuned by appropriate choice of the reaction precursors.

The molecular ferroelectric, diisopropylammonium bromide (DIPAB) crystal with P 2 1 phase is successfully prepared in an anhydrous environment at room temperature. The results illustrate that the water in the solvent / environment plays a key role in the phase of DIPAB single crystal during crystallization process. The scaling behavior of the dynamic hysteresis of DIPAB crystal is also investigated. The scaling relations of hysteresis area( A ) against frequency ( f ) and applied electric field amplitude ( E 0 ) can be expressed with A ∝ f − 0 . 17 E 0 1 in the f -region I (30–6.6 Hz), A ∝ f 0 . 045 E 0 0 . 92 in the f -region II (200–50 Hz) and A ∝ f − 0 . 41 E 0 2 in the f -region III (500–250 Hz). This three-stage behavior between the loop area A and frequency is ascribed to the coexistence of order-disorder and displacive characters in the ferroelectric transition characters in such molecular ferroelectrics.