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Surface ripple, as an important factor of corrugations in two-dimensional (2D) atomic crystals, plays important roles in determining their mechanical and physical properties. Here, we systematically investigated the strain-engineered rippling structure and manipulation of the rippling domain in monolayer WS2flakes viaatomic force microscopy (AFM). The rippling structure was introduced by the in-plane compression applied through the underlying SiO2/Si substrate during the rapid cooling process of post-growth. The zigzag-orientated rippling domains with three-equivalent directions were visualized by transverse shear microscopy (TSM) and friction force microscopy and further determined viaangle-dependent TSM. Furthermore, these rippling domains can be precisely manipulated by controlling the AFM scanning, and various rippling patterns were formed by the AFM lithography. The manipulation mechanisms were phenomenally discussed based on their strain-induced anisotropic mechanical properties, the film–substrate mechanical model, and the dynamic strain-induced anisotropic puckering effects. Our study will be beneficial in understanding and controlling not only the rippling structures but also the rippling-related electronic and optical properties of 2D materials.

Colored titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanocrystals have been studied intensively in recent years due to their substantial solar-driven photocatalytic activities. Because of the scarcity of information correlated among atomic structure, electronic structure, and photocatalytic property from isolated nanoparticles, the origin of photocatalytic activity of colored TiO2from microscopic and electronic level remains intensely debated. Here we demonstrated the origin of photocatalytic activity in Ti4+/Ti3+core–shell TiO2nanocrystals mainly by a combination of high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS), and photo-Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM). The thickness of the Ti3+shell layer increases with the annealing temperature, meanwhile the O/Ti atomic ratio of the outermost layer decrease. The differences in interplanar spacing between the surface and the subsurface generate strain effect, which increase carrier mobility and ultimately improve catalytic performance. Quantum size effect and specific surface area also have a big impact on catalytic performance. A prerequisite is to keep a good balance between the Ti4+/Ti3+core–shell structure and the particle size to optimize its photocatalytic properties. By employing Au as a reference, we were able to estimate the Fermi levels of TiO2before and after illumination. The amplitude of the Fermi level upshift unambiguously relates with the photocatalytic activity. The largest Fermi level upshift under illumination means generating the most efficient photoinduced carries to perform a highly catalytic reaction, carried out by optimizing the electronic structure with appropriate oxygen vacancies. But too many oxygen vacancies increase the recombination center and reduce the concentration of photoinduced electrons, which can also be observed from the photo-KPFM result.

NixCoy/H-ZrO2catalysts composed of highly dispersed NixCoynanoparticles supported by mesoporous ZrO2hollow sphere are synthesized by templating and impregnation processes. According to thermogravimetric analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and dry reforming results, a synergetic reaction mechanism is proposed to explain the better performance of alloy catalysts compared to Ni/H-ZrO2or Co/H-ZrO2. In dry reforming of methane (DRM) reaction, Ni and Co act as catalysts for CH4cracking and CO2reduction, respectively, and the induced carbon deposits on Ni can be oxidized by the active oxygen left on Co, which regenerate the metal surface for the following reaction. Among all the alloy catalysts, the Ni0.8Co0.2/H-ZrO2catalyst presents the highest activity and stability because the strong metal–support interaction prevents the sintering of nanocatalysts at high temperature and the hollow structure enhances the mass transportation of reactants and products. More importantly, Ni and Co can synergistically balance the speed of CH4cracking and CO2reduction, which effectively avoid coke accumulation/catalyst oxidation and ensure fast and stable conversion for DRM reaction.

Previously, we demonstrated that death-associated protein-3 (DAP3) loss drives chemoresistance in gastric cancer cells. In the present study, we aimed to determine the underlying molecular mechanism. The effect of DAP3 silencing on ß-catenin signaling was assessed. The direct mediator of DAP3 silencing-induced chemoresistance was identified. Depletion of DAP3 stimulates nuclear accumulation of ß-catenin and enhances ß-catenin-dependent transcriptional activity in gastric cancer cells. However, the protein kinase B,, extracellular regulated protein kinase and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 signaling pathways remain unaffected by DAP3 loss. We found that the downstream target gene LGR5 (leucine-rich G-protein coupled receptor 5) is upregulated in DAP3-depleted gastric cancer cells. Moreover, knockdown of LGR5 resensitizes DAP3-depleted gastric cancer cells to 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and oxaliplatin. We also observed that ectopic expression of LGR5 reduces apoptosis in gastric cancer cells on treatment with 5-FU and oxaliplatin, which is accompanied by prevention of caspase-3 cleavage. The antiapoptotic protein Bcl-2 is identified as a key mediator of LGR5-induced apoptosis resistance in gastric cancer cells. The present findings indicate that DAP3 deficiency-induced chemoresistance in gastric cancer is at least partially mediated through the ß-catenin/LGR5/Bcl-2 axis. Targeting LGR5 may provide a novel strategy to overcome chemoresistance in DAP3-deficient gastric cancer cells.

Monodisperse ZnO particles with adjustable size have been produced on a large scale by two-step seeding-growth polyol reactions. Through spin coating of supersaturated ZnO/diethylene glycol solution and evaporation of solvent, opaline ZnO photonic crystal (PC) film with good crystallinity and uniform photonic structures can be prepared from these ZnO particles. Compared with a disorderly stacked ZnO film, the ZnO PC film shows a higher activity in photocatalytic reduction of CO2due to the generated slow photons at the edge of the photonic band gap and their promotion to the light absorption. When the electronic band gap of ZnO matches the red edge of the photonic band gap of ZnO PC, the enhancement factor of photocatalytic activity represented by CO evolution can be maximized to 2.64-fold in the current experiment. Compared to the traditional inverse opal photocatalysts, the opaline ZnO photocatalysts are prepared by simplified and scalable procedures, and they still possess the same enhancement in activity compared to ZnO without the photonic structure, which might be broadly used in solar energy utilization, environment protection, and many other green chemical processes in the future.