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Van der Waals (vdW) stacking of two-dimensional (2D) materials to create artificial structures has enabled remarkable discoveries and novel properties in fundamental physics. Here, we report that vdW stacking of centrosymmetric 2D materials, e.g., bilayer MoS 2 (2LM) and monolayer graphene (1LG), could support remarkable second-harmonic generation (SHG). The required centrosymmetry breaking for second-order hyperpolarizability arises from the interlayer charge transfer between 2LM and 1LG and the imbalanced charge distribution in 2LM, which are verified by first-principles calculations, Raman spectroscopy, and polarization-resolved SHG. The strength of SHG from 2LM/1LG is of the same order of magnitude as that from the monolayer MoS 2 , which is well recognized with strong second-order nonlinearity. The emergent SHG reveals that the interlayer charge transfer can effectively modify the symmetry and nonlinear optical properties of 2D heterostructures. It also indicates the great opportunity of SHG spectroscopy for characterizing interlayer coupling in vdW heterostructures.

Funding Information: This work is supported by the National Key R&D Program of China (Grants 2018YFA0307200 and 2017YFA0303800), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grants 61775183, 11634010, and 61905196), the Key R&D Program of Shaanxi Province (Grant 2020JZ-10), Key R&D Program of Guangdong Province (Grants 2020B010189001, 2019B010931001, and 2018B030327001), and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (Grants 3102017jc01001, 3102019JC008, and 310201911cx032). Publisher Copyright: © 2022 American Chemical Society. Missing second-order nonlinearity in centrosymmetric graphene overshadows its intriguing optical attribute. Here, we report redox-governed charge doping could effectively break the centrosymmetry of bilayer graphene (BLG), enabling a strong second harmonic generation (SHG) with a strength close to that of the well-known monolayer MoS2. Verified from control experiments with in situ electrical current annealing and electrically gate-controlled SHG, the required centrosymmetry breaking of the emerging SHG arises from the charge-doping on the bottom layer of BLG by the oxygen/water redox couple. Our results not only reveal that charge doping is an effective way to break the inversion symmetry of BLG despite its strong interlayer coupling but also indicate that SHG spectroscopy is a valid technique to probe molecular doping on two-dimensional materials.

Electrical tuning of second-order nonlinearity in optical materials is attractive to strengthen and expand the functionalities of nonlinear optical technologies, though its implementation remains elusive. Here, we report the electrically tunable second-order nonlinearity in atomically thin ReS

The light fastness of fabrics dyed with natural dyes is not satisfactory, which limits their applications in the textile industry. So far, the detailed photofading mechanism of natural dyes remains unclear. To improve the light fastness of cotton fabrics dyed with two natural dyes (sodium copper chlorophyllin and gardenia yellow), two additives ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid disodium salt (EDTA-2Na) and sodium citrate were used to treat the dyed cotton fabrics via the dipping-padding method. The performance results showed that both the two additives had good effects on inhibiting the photofading of the dyed fabrics. The photofading mechanism of the two natural dyes was also investigated. The results from 1,1-Diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl free radical (DPPH) scavenging assay and cyclic voltammetry tests demonstrated very limited antioxidant properties of the two dyes. Singlet oxygen and hydroxyl radical were detected in the photosensitizing process of the two dyes by electron paramagnetic resonance method. The photo-induced chemiluminescence (PICL) tests confirmed that the color changes of the dyed cotton fabrics were reduced because the reactivities of the two dyes to react with reactive oxygen species were dramatically reduced in the presence of EDTA-2Na and sodium citrate. End products generated in the photofading of the two dyes were detected by high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HPLC–MS). Based on the comprehensive analysis of above results, possible degradation pathways of the two dyes were proposed. The mechanism study in this research may help shed light on proposing universal solutions to the poor light fastness of most natural dyes on cotton.

In this study, inorganic and organic UV absorbers, as well as reducing agents, were employed to treat cotton fabrics that were pre-dyed with two natural dyes (sodium copper chlorophyllin and gardenia yellow) to improve light fastness. The performance of UV absorbers and reducing agents was evaluated by comparing ΔE (CIELAB) of the treated samples caused by their exposure to simulated sunlight irradiation. Results show that both inorganic and organic UV absorbers present unsatisfactory effects on inhibiting the photo-fading of dyes, while the reducing agents (i.e. sodium citrate and glucose) exhibit distinctive effects on improving their light fastness. The protection was enhanced when the amount of the two reducing agents was increased from 1% to 5% o.w.f. Sodium citrate was found to be more efficient than glucose in this regard. Change in shade of gardenia yellow and sodium copper chlorophyllin pre-dyed fabrics with a treatment of 5% o.w.f. sodium citrate after 10 h exposure to simulated sunlight were ΔE 3.95 and 2.46, while for the controls were ΔE 10.34 and 8.11, respectively.

Atomic-level boron carbon nitride nanosheets (BCNNS) have been prepared by a molten salt assisted assembly growth strategy, which effectively promotes the solvation of precursors, minimizes the surface energy and prevents the aggregation of layers. The as-synthesized BCNNS have atomic layered thickness and large lateral size, and show enhanced visible light H2 evolution activity compared to bulk BCN.

Electrical tuning of second-order nonlinearity in optical materials is attractive to strengthen and expand the functionalities of nonlinear optical technologies, though its implementation remains elusive. Here, we report the electrically tunable second-order nonlinearity in atomically thin ReS2 flakes benefiting from their distorted 1T crystal structure and interlayer charge transfer. Enabled by the efficient electrostatic control of the few-atomic-layer ReS2, we show that second harmonic generation (SHG) can be induced in odd-number-layered ReS2 flakes which are centrosymmetric and thus without intrinsic SHG. Moreover, the SHG can be precisely modulated by the electric field, reversibly switching from almost zero to an amplitude more than one order of magnitude stronger than that of the monolayer MoS2. For the even-number-layered ReS2 flakes with the intrinsic SHG, the external electric field could be leveraged to enhance the SHG. We further perform the first-principles calculations which suggest that the modification of in-plane second-order hyperpolarizability by the redistributed interlayer-transferring charges in the distorted 1T crystal structure underlies the electrically tunable SHG in ReS2. With its active SHG tunability while using the facile electrostatic control, our work may further expand the nonlinear optoelectronic functions of two-dimensional materials for developing electrically controllable nonlinear optoelectronic devices.

Natural melanin is abundant in wide ranges of sources, especially in dark colored animal fibers. Despite the unique features and functionalities, its extensive analyses and applications have greatly been hindered due to its serious self-aggregation. To tackle this issue, this study uses the Stober method to encapsulate the melanin particles extracted from colored alpaca fibers with a thin layer of silica. It was observed that the melanin/silica core-shell particles (MSCPs) with 20 h encapsulation time provided excellent dispersity and optical performance. Different concentrations of MSCPs were then doped in poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) through an in-situ polymerization process to obtain MSCP/PMMA bulk materials. The produced composite materials showed homogeneous appearance, controllable UV absorbance and visible light transmittance. The thermal stability, durability under UV, and mechanical properties of the fabricated composites were examined and the role of melanin on the obtained results was elucidated. It was observed that the PMMA samples with MSCPs showed excellent durability under UV even after 100 h irradiation. Testing the thermal stability and mechanical properties (hardness and elastic modulus) of MSCP/PMMA samples confirmed the positive effect of MSCPs presence in PMMA. These results demonstrated the applicability of natural melanin-based materials and composites in UV-protection related fields.

The present study reports a novel method for hydrogen generation and simultaneous removal of Cr(VI) from synthetic wastewater using NaBH4 as the reducing agent and Fe-Al-Si composite as accelerator. The results showed that the hydrogen generation yields of NaBH4 occurred at low pH, high temperature and stirring speed. The presence of Cr(VI) was found to inhibit hydrogen generation at the initial pH 3.0, especially at low temperature conditions. Increasing temperature resulted in the increase of hydrogen generation, whereas a higher reduction rate of Cr(VI) was obtained at low temperature. Therefore, to alleviate the contradiction between hydrogen generation and Cr(VI) removal with respect to temperature, we introduced reduction accelerator by preparing Fe-Al-Si composite using wasted fly ash as raw materials. The resultant hydrogen generation yield could be enhanced from 32.04 to 80.70%, and total Cr removal was increased from 46.72 to 98.96% at 30 °C. First, H+ produced by hydrolysis of Fe-Al-Si composite improves the hydrolysis ability of NaBH4, thus promoting its ability to reduce Cr(VI) and to produce hydrogen by itself. The Cr(VI) reduction and hydrogen generation process are competitive for H+, which is particularly evident at insufficient H+. Second, at low doses, Fe3+ exhibited a lower ability to promote hydrogen generation and simultaneous Cr(VI) removal than Al3+. One of the reasons for the low promotion ability of Fe3+ in the whole pH range was the formation of Fe0 at pH less than 3.0, and the other was the weaker hydrolysis ability of Fe3+ itself at pH greater than 3.0.

Melanin/titanium dioxide (TiO2) composite systems are introduced as efficient UV absorbers. Natural melanin particles were extracted from the pigmented alpaca fibers and the spindle-like rutile TiO2 nanoparticles were synthesized through a two-step sol-gel method at room temperature. The composites of melanin/TiO2 were prepared via electrostatic attraction force. In order to understand the UV absorption features of melanin and melanin/TiO2 composite systems, the prepared particles were applied to the surface of wool fabrics. Then, the UV protection and photostability of functionalized fabrics were assessed based on photoinduced chemiluminescence (PICL) emission, UV reflectance spectra, photoyellowing and ultraviolet protection factor (UPF). It was observed that the photostability of treated fabrics enhanced significantly, implying the generation of less free polymeric radicals in the substrate under UV irradiation. Among different synthesized composites, the proportion of melanin/TiO2 1/4 was the most efficient ratio inducing 80% reduction in the PICL emission peak intensity compared with untreated wool samples. The presence of melanin particles significantly enhanced the UPF values of fabrics where 30% increment was observed for wool samples after treating with melanin/TiO2 1/4 compared with pure TiO2. Having some advantages such as nontoxicity, eco-friendly and feasible synthesis approach, the prepared bio-organic/inorganic composite structures can be of some potential applications in photoprotecting and free radical quenching purposes.

Acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) patients with progressive leukocytosis are more likely to have various complications and poor outcomes. However, the regulatory roles of microRNAs in the leukocytosis of APL have not been clarified. Our study aims to evaluate the effects of miRNAs on leukocytosis during induction therapy of APL patients and explore its potential mechanisms. During induction treatment, patients with white blood cell count higher than 10 × 109/L were divided into leukocytosis group and others were nonleukocytosis group. Using microarray assays, we found that miR-139-5p was significantly downregulated in the leukocytosis group. Elevated expression of miR-139-5p inhibited the proliferation of NB4 cells by arresting the cell cycle and inducing apoptosis. We further identified that MNT was a target of miR-139-5p. miR-139-5p significantly inhibited the proliferation, invasion, and migration function of NB4 cells through targeting MNT. Strategies for regulating miR-139-5p or MNT expression might provide new therapeutic approaches for progressive leukocytosis in APL.

Magnetic resonances not only play crucial roles in artificial magnetic materials but also offer a promising way for light control and interaction with matter. Recently, magnetic resonance effects have attracted special attention in plasmonic systems for overcoming magnetic response saturation at high frequencies and realizing high-performance optical functionalities. As novel states of matter, topological insulators (TIs) present topologically protected conducting surfaces and insulating bulks in a broad optical range, providing new building blocks for plasmonics. However, until now, high-frequency (e.g. visible range) magnetic resonances and related applications have not been demonstrated in TI systems. Herein, we report for the first time, to our knowledge, a kind of visible range magnetic plasmon resonances (MPRs) in TI structures composed of nanofabricated Sb2Te3 nanogrooves. The experimental results show that the MPR response can be tailored by adjusting the nanogroove height, width, and pitch, which agrees well with the simulations and theoretical calculations. Moreover, we innovatively integrated monolayer MoS2 onto a TI nanostructure and observed strongly reinforced light–MoS2 interactions induced by a significant MPR-induced electric field enhancement, remarkable compared with TI-based electric plasmon resonances (EPRs). The MoS2 photoluminescence can be flexibly tuned by controlling the incident light polarization. These results enrich TI optical physics and applications in highly efficient optical functionalities as well as artificial magnetic materials at high frequencies., Topological insulators: visible range magnetic resonances Nanostructured antimony telluride (Sb2Te3) can support visible range magnetic resonances and dramatically enhance the weak interactions of light with 2D materials. Hua Lu and workers from China and Australia used focused ion beam milling to write a grating of periodic nanogrooves into single-crystalline Sb2Te3, a well-known topological insulator. They then placed a flake of the 2D material MoS2 on top. Characterization showed the existence of a kind of magnetic plasmon resonances (MPRs) with a resonant wavelength that redshifts with increasing nanogroove height and pitch and blueshifts with increasing nanogroove width. Visible photoluminescence experiments showed that the MPRs can dramatically increase the emission from the MoS2, which could be tuned by changing the polarization angle of the incident excitation light. The findings are expected to aid the development of nanoscale optical devices made from layered nanomaterials.

Natural dye&rsquo, s poor affinity for cotton and poor fastness properties still hinder its applications in the textile industry. In this study, a doubled-layered chitosan coating was cured on cotton fabric to serve as bio-mordant and form a protective layer on it. Under the optimal treatment conditions, the maximum qe (adsorption amount) of the natural dye sodium copper chlorophyllin (SCC) calculated from the Langmuir isothermal model was raised from 4.5 g/kg to 19.8 g/kg. The dye uptake of the treated fabric was improved from 22.7% to 96.4% at 1% o.w.f. dye concentration. By a second chitosan layer cured on the dyed fabric via the cross-linking method, the wash fastness of the cotton fabric dyed with SCC can be improved from 3 to 5 (ISO 105 C-06). The natural source of the biopolymer material, chitosan, and its ability to biodegrade at end of life met with the initial objective of green manufacturing in applying natural dyes and natural materials to the textile industry.

This study aimed to evaluate treatment response, survival, safety profiles, and predictive factors to chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR-T) therapy in Chinese patients with relapsed or refractory B cell acute lymphoblast leukemia (R/R B-ALL). 39R/R B-ALL patients who underwent CAR-T therapy were included. Baseline data were collected from patients’ electronic medical records. Patients’ peripheral bloods, bone marrow aspirates, and biopsies were obtained for routine examination, and treatment response and survival profiles as well as adverse events were evaluated. The rates of complete remission (CR), CR with minimal residual disease (MRD) negative/positive, and bridging to hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (HSCT) were 92.3%, 76.9%, 15.4%, and 43.6%, respectively. The median event-free survival (EFS) was 11.6 months (95% confidence interval (CI): 4.0–19.2 months) and median overall survival (OS) was 14.0 months (95% CI: 10.9–17.1 months). Bridging to HSCT independently predicted better EFS and OS, while high bone marrow blasts level independently predicted worse EFS. The incidence of cytokine release syndrome (CRS) was 97.4%, and refractory disease as well as decreased white blood cell independently predicted higher risk of severe CRS. Other common adverse events included hematologic toxicities (grade I: 5.1%, grade II: 7.7%, grade III: 17.9%, grade IV: 69.2%), neurotoxicity (28.2%), infection (38.5%), and admission for intensive care unit (10.3%). In conclusion, CAR-T therapy presents with promising treatment response, survival and safety profiles, and higher disease burden predicts worse survival as well as increased risk of severe CRS in Chinese R/R B-ALL patients.

Atomic-level boron carbon nitride nanosheets (BCNNS) have been prepared by a molten salt assisted assembly growth strategy, which effectively promotes the solvation of precursors, minimizes the surface energy and prevents the aggregation of layers. The as-synthesized BCNNS have atomic layered thickness and large lateral size, and show enhanced visible light H

As a new class of nanomaterials, topological insulators with the Dirac surface conducting state and insulating bulk state offer a promising platform for plasmonics with breaking through the frequency and integration limitation of traditional materials. The combination of topological insulators with atomic-layer materials will be significant for the realization of integrated plasmonic functional devices. Herein, we experimentally report the plasmon-enhanced photoluminescence (PL) emission behavior of molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) single layer integrated with an antimony telluride (Sb2Te3) topological insulator nanogap. It is found that the PL response of MoS2 on the nanogap is dependent on the polarization of incident light. The MoS2 PL intensity can be distinctly improved with plasmonic excitation on Sb2Te3 nanogap. These results will contribute to exploring plasmonic behaviors of topological insulators and their applications in enhanced light-matter interaction for nanoscale light emission and harvesting devices.

The oxidation side of overall water splitting reaction, involving multiple electron transfer, O H bond cleavage, and O O bond formation, is a vital step to control the overall activities of water spitting. However, this process is usually restricted by the huge energy barrier and sluggish reaction kinetics. Recently, cobalt-based nanomaterials have been proved to be capable of decreasing the activation energy and accelerating the reaction kinetics. In principle, many factors will largely affect the activities, such as the loading contents, the size and structure of the cocatalysts. In order to achieve an overall enhancement of catalytic activities, it is reasonable to fabricate a tight and well matching junction that could efficiently promote the interface charge migration and separation. Herein, a high-performance water oxidation junction with layered structure was fabricated via in-situ growth of Ni-Co layered double hydroxides (LDHs) on graphitic carbon nitride nanosheets. Owing to the similarity of their layered stacking geometry, LDHs will strongly anchor on the surface of carbon nitride nanosheets, which could favor the photocatalytic water oxidation activities. As expected, the optimized binary catalysts showed remarkably enhanced activity for the photocatalytic water oxidation to release oxygen, which was 6.5 times higher than that of pure carbon nitride materials without loading the cocatalyst.

Porous boron nitride (BN) nanosheets, which possess extreme large surface areas, high thermal conductivity and special chemical activities, have demonstrated advantages in water cleaning and energy storage. However, they are usually considered as an underachieving catalytic material for photocatalysis and other photovoltaic conversion applications due to their wide bad gap of 5.5 eV. Here, we report a novel porous BN/TiO2 hybrid nanosheets with the formation of new B O Ti bondings between the boron dangling bonds at the open edges of pores of porous BN nanosheets and nanosized TiO2 particles. Such highly active bondings make the hybrid nanosheets responsive to an extended wavelength range from UV to visible light (λ > 420 nm) spectrum and also substantially enhance the photocatalytic effect (up to 99%) for degradation of organic molecules. In addition, the porous BN/TiO2 hybrid nanosheets exhibit excellent cycling stability up to 5 cycles maintaining high visible-light photocatalytic activity (97%). These results provide new insights for design of advanced hybrid photocatalysts with actively chemical bonding species, which can be applied in environmental protection, water splitting, and photo-electrochemical conversion.

Titanium dioxide/porous boron nitride nanosheets (TiO 2 /P-BNNSs) were prepared to remove dyes (Lanaset Red 2B, LR2B) and heavy metals (hexavalent chromium, Cr (VI)) simultaneously in a simulated wool dyeing bath where pollutants (LR2B or Cr (VI)) and auxiliaries were simultaneously presented. Characterisations of TiO 2 /P-BNNSs were carried out by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Flourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and N 2 adsorption desorption equilibrium. Application of TiO 2 /P-BNNSs for the treatment of LR2B alone, Cr (VI) alone and their mixture in the simulated wool dyeing bath was discussed. Both LR2B and Cr (VI) removal were decreased in the ternary system (LR2B/Cr (VI)/(TiO 2 /P-BNNSs)) compared with those in their respective binary systems (LR2B/(TiO 2 /P-BNNSs) or Cr (VI)/(TiO 2 /P-BNNSs)) in the simulated wool dyeing bath. In spite of these decreases, simultaneous LR2B and Cr (VI) removal was achieved after 5 successive cycles of use of TiO 2 /P-BNNSs, which particularly maintained the durability for LR2B removal, implicating their potential for real wool dyeing effluent treatment.

Titanium dioxide/porous boron nitride nanosheet composites (TiO2/P-BNNSs) were prepared in this study to photo decolorize Reactive Yellow 161 (RY161) in the simulated cotton dyeing effluent, where alkaline and inorganic salts were presented. The prepared TiO2/P-BNNSs were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The photocatalytic performance of TiO2/P-BNNSs was also compared with that of synthesized TiO2 and commercial TiO2 (P25). Although the addition of alkaline and inorganic salts negatively influenced the RY161 decolorization, the RY161 decolorization efficiency remained the highest in the simulated systems (unhydrolyzed and hydrolyzed systems) with the application of TiO2/P-BNNSs. The excellent reusability of TiO2/P-BNNSs was also demonstrated after five successive cycles of use in the simulated cotton dyeing effluent, during which the RY161 decolorization percentage remained at 87%–90% in the unhydrolyzed s...

Two-dimensional molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) possesses premium electrical, optoelectrical and valleytronic properties to develop future nano-electronic and optoelectronic devices. Valleytronic material platform with anisotropic response is highly desired to develop polarization sensitive valleytronic devices. In this work, we acquire monolayer MoS2 with both valley degree of freedom and anisotropy by introducing Re doping during chemical vapor deposition growth. The atomic substitution with Re element induces prominent n-type doping. Electrical tests under both dark and light illumination show that 5 at% Re-doped MoS2 achieves the optimum electrical and optoelectrical performances, corresponding to 27 and 35 times improved carrier mobility and photoresponsivity than pristine MoS2, respectively. Second harmonic generation (SHG) and polarization Raman spectroscopy (PRS) indicate increased anisotropic optical response of Re doped MoS2 as Re concentration increases: maximum anisotropic ratios of 1.6 and 1.7 have been achieved for SHG and PRS measurements at different doping concentrations, respectively. Circularly polarized PL measurement demonstrates that the Re-doped MoS2 preserves valley dependent optical response. Our theoretical calculations show that the anisotropic response is due to the strain induced by the dopants, so that the 2H lattice structure optical helicity dependent valley selection rules are largely preserved. The work opens promising venue toward polarization sensitive valleytronic material platform.

Although rare-earth metals have increasingly received attention for use in the storage and transportation of the tritium used in nuclear fusion reactions, they still face great challenges, such as the effect of helium on the mechanical properties of different erbium hydrides. In this work, first principles are used to study the mechanical properties (elastic constants, Young’s modulus, transverse shear modulus and bulk modulus) of different erbium hydrides exposed to helium. The Young’s modulus, the transverse shear modulus and the bulk modulus are given based on the elastic constants calculated according to first principles. It is found that the mechanical properties of all three erbium hydrides decrease in the presence of helium, and the decline of the mechanical properties of ErH3 is the most serious. To explain the reason for the decrease in the mechanical properties, the densities of the states of erbium hydrides are calculated. During the calculations, helium embrittlement is not found and the ductility of the erbium hydrides improves following the production of helium at the helium concentrations considered in this work.

First-principle is used to study the migration and occupancy of He in different phases (α phase (ErH

Uniform core-shell structured TiO2&SiO2 nanoparticles (NPs) were fabricated by synthesizing TiO2 NPs, which were then coated with shells of SiO2. The structure and optical properties of TiO2&SiO2 NPs were characterized with a transmission electron microscope and a UV/Vis spectrophotometer. The photocatalysis was evaluated by photodegradation of rhodamine B. TiO2&SiO2 NPs were coated onto wool fabrics to improve their photostability. The treated wool fabrics were characterized using scanning electron microscopy. Photoyellowing of treated wool fabrics after exposure to simulated sunlight was evaluated using a Datacolor Spectraflash spectrophotometer. At an application level of 5% o.w.f. of the composite nanoparticles, the treated wool fabrics exhibited considerable photostability. Polydimethylsiloxane was applied as an after-treatment, which provides good fastness to washing. This simple but effective coating could be useful for the development of UV protection methods for various substrates.

This work was designed to investigate the ability of silica-coated ZnO (ZnO&SiO2) nanoparticles (NPs) as ultraviolet (UV) absorbers for protecting pre-dyed polyester fabrics against photofading. Despite that ZnO NPs are excellent UV absorbers, their strong photocatalytic activity limits the application in UV protection. In this study, a silica layer was coated onto ZnO NPs to form a physical barrier between the ZnO and a polyester substrate, which allowed effective UV shielding while minimising the harmful effects of photocatalytic activity on the substrate. The structure and optical proprieties of ZnO&SiO2 NPs were observed. The bare ZnO and ZnO&SiO2 NPs were, respectively, applied to polyester fabrics coloured with three kinds of dyes by a dip coating method. The photofading level of treated fabrics after exposure under simulated sunlight was evaluated. The ZnO&SiO2 NPs exhibited excellent protection on pre-dyed polyester fabrics against photofading.

Photocatalytic reduction of aqueous Cr(VI) was successfully achieved on porous boron nitride nanosheets/TiO2 (P-BNNSs/TiO2) composites. Porous boron nitride (BN) nanosheets as a catalyst support material play an important role in extending the optical absorption spectrum of TiO2 into the visible light region. The photocatalytic reduction of aqueous Cr(VI) by P-BNNSs/TiO2 composites was evaluated under simulated solar light (λ > 300 nm) and visible light (λ > 420 nm) irradiation. The P-BNNSs/TiO2 composites exhibit excellent removal efficiency of Cr(VI) (∼99%). The excellent photocatalytic activity of P-BNNSs/TiO2 composites in the visible-light region is derived from their large surface area, which induces a strong absorption of pollutants and a lower recombination rate of electron–hole pairs.

In this work, the classic molecular dynamics simulations are employed to investigate the atomic structural modification of fused silica with defects as laser irradiation. The dynamics evolution of the atomic structure of fused silica is modeled during energy deposition. The structure parameters such as pair distribution functions (PDFs), bond angle distributions (BADs), and the coordination number are given. The calculated results reveal that fused silica undergoes significant changes in terms of Si–O, Si–Si, and O–O bond lengths, Si–O–Si and O–Si–O bond angles, and the Si and O coordination numbers during laser irradiation. The effects of different surface defects on the micro-structure of fused silica are discussed too. The simulation results of molecular dynamics may help to understand the role of defects in the radiation effect of fused silica.

Limin Li,* Xiaoqian Zhang,* Hongjuan Yu, Mingwen Zhang, Mengyuan Xu, Jie Liu, Yueyue Fu, Hongbin Meng, Chengfang Lyu, Xiaoxia Li, Jin Zhou Department of Hematology, Institute of Hematology and Oncology of Heilongjiang Province, Hematology and Oncology Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, Heilongjiang, People’s Republic of China *These authors contributed equally to this work Background: Relapsed and refractory acute myeloid leukemia (RR-AML) still poses major treatment concerns. Current treatments include high doses of cytarabine or fludarabine in combination with cytarabine and G-CSF (FLAG), but provide mixed results. Low-dose decitabine, a hypomethylating drug, in combination with aclarubicin and cytarabine (DAC) has shown safety and efficacy in the treatment of AML; however, clinical data are limited for the treatment of RR-AML.Methods: In this study, we retrospectively compared the response and safety of DAC vs FLAG for RR-AML patients.Results: For the 35 patients with RR-AML enrolled in this study, the overall response rates reached 100% and 55.6% in the DAC group and FLAG group, respectively (P=0.002). Complete response rates after DAC and FLAG treatment were 64.7% and 33.3%, respectively (P=0.002). Median overall survival (95% CI) of the DAC treatment group was significantly higher than for the FLAG group (median not achieved vs 16.8 months, P=0.021).Conclusion: DAC treatment was also more effective in those patients with poor prognosis, suggesting that DAC resulted in a better outcome for RR-AML treatment. In conclusion, in our study, DAC therapy provided more safety and effectiveness and lower toxicity in the treatment of RR-AML compared to FLAG therapy. Keywords: AML, refractory diseases, relapsed diseases, decitabine, chemotherapy

The present study reports a novel method for hydrogen generation and simultaneous removal of Cr(VI) from synthetic wastewater using NaBH

A hexagonal boron carbon nitride ( h -BCN) semiconductor was applied to intercalate cobalt ions to catalyze oxygen evolution reaction (OER) with light illumination, without using noble metals. The h -BCN with high specific surface area showed a strong chemical affinity towards metal ions due to the “lop-sided” densities characteristic of ionic B–N bonding, enabling the creation of metal/ h -BCN hybrid layered structures with unique properties. As exemplified here by Co/ h -BCN for water oxidation catalysis, after intercalating cobalt ions in the h -BCN host, the photocatalytic activity of the resultant layered hybrid is optimized due to their synergic catalysis that promotes charge separation and lowers reaction barriers. This finding promises a new nobel-metal-free nanocompsite using cost-acceptable and earth-abundant sustances for photocatalytic OER, and enables the facile design of duel catalytic cascades by merging transition metal catalysis with h -BCN (photo)catalysis for energy and sustainability.

It has been a long-standing demand to design hetero-nanostructures for charge-flow steering in semiconductor systems. Multi-component nanocrystals exhibit multifunctional properties or synergistic performance, and are thus attractive materials for energy conversion, medical therapy, and photoelectric catalysis applications. Herein we report the design and synthesis of binary and ternary multi-node sheath hetero-nanorods in a sequential chemical transformation procedure. As verified by first-principles simulations, the conversion from type-I ZnS-CdS heterojunction into type-II ZnS-(CdS/metal) ensures well-steered collections of photo-generated electrons at the exposed ZnS nanorod stem and metal nanoparticles while holes at the CdS node sheaths, leading to substantially improved photocatalytic hydrogen-evolution performance.

Photoinduced shape conversion of silver nanoparticles was realized using sunlight. The silver seeds were transformed to silver nanoprisms under sunlight when the concentration of citrate was low (⩽5.0 × 10 −4 M). Nevertheless, sunlight converted the obtained silver nanoprisms to silver nanodecahedrons when the concentration of citrate in reaction system was increased. It was found that the ultraviolet light from sunlight played a vital role in the shape conversion from nanoprism to nanodecahedron. Lighting power density did not influence the shape conversion except for reaction rate. Besides, the silver nanodecahedrons were synthesized in the mixed solution of AgNO 3 and citrate in absence of silver seeds through irradiation by simulated sunlight. The mechanism on the sunlight induced synthesis of silver nanoparticles was discussed. Anisotropic silver nanoparticles including nanoprisms and nanodecahedrons were obtained through controlling the citrate concentration and irradiation time by sunlight from green light source.