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Dendritic mesoporous organosilica nanoparticles (DMON) are a new class of biodegradable nanoparticles suitable for biomolecule delivery. We studied the photochemical internalization (PCI) and photodynamic therapy (PDT) of DMON to investigate new ways for DMON to escape from the endosomes-lysosomes and deliver biomolecules into the cytoplasm of cells. We added photosensitizers in the framework of DMON and found that DMON were loaded with siRNA or FVIII factor protein. We made four formulations with four different photosensitizers. The photosensitizers allowed us to perform imaging of DMON in cancer cells, but the presence of the tetrasulfide bond in the framework of DMON quenched the formation of singlet oxygen. Fortunately, one formulation allowed us to efficiently deliver proapoptotic siRNA in MCF-7 cancer cells leading to 31% of cancer cell death, without irradiation. As for FVIII protein, it was loaded in two formulations with drug-loading capacities (DLC) up to 25%. In conclusion, DMON are versatile nanoparticles capable of loading siRNA and delivering it into cancer cells, and also loading FVIII protein with good DLC. Due to the presence of tetrasulfide, it was not possible to perform PDT or PCI.

Protection against sea submersion is a key point for the management of coastal areas. Operators need tools to monitor the aging of the sea dikes in order to reduce the risk of catastrophic events such as the Xynthia storm that occurred in 2010 (west of France). Long-term monitoring of these structures can be done using the ambient seismic noise produced by a combination of natural sources (e.g. the impact of swell on the structure, water currents, the wind force on ground-anchored constructions, etc.) and/or nearby anthropogenic sources (e.g. road/pedestrian traffic, coastal activities, etc.).Continuous ambient noise recordings can be used for monitoring structures by detecting small variations in seismic velocities related to localized degradations that cannot be detected visually. However, this monitoring technique requires sufficient energy in the proper frequency range for the intended application (typically at wavelengths of the order of the size of the structure or less). Additionally, the distribution of the sources must be relatively stable over time in order to interpret the velocity variations explicitly. The case of sea dikes is particularly challenging as the seismic noise is highly variable due various factors, like the water height variations during the tidal cycle, the variations in tidal intensity during the year, or the effects of the climatic conditions on the direction and intensity of the swell.This study is conducted in the framework of the SEEWALL project, which aims to develop a system for monitoring sea dikes using ambient seismic sources. A dike located on the Noirmoutier Island (France) has been instrumented with permanent accelerometers along with several geophysical and meteorological probes which have been recording continuously for about one year. This contribution focuses on the identification of the essential properties of the ambient seismic noise recorded in this setting and seeks to evaluate how these properties affect our ability to measure temporal variations of the seismic waves velocity. In other words, our objective is to identify the noise sources that contribute most favorably to the approximated empirical Green’s functions and/or that are highly repeatable over time, in order to develop methods that can be applied to various dikes and to optimize the type and amount of seismic data required to monitor such structures.

Nomada pulchraArnold, 1888 est signalée pour la première fois en Maine-et-Loire. Le contexte de la découverte est détaillé ainsi que les recherches effectuées pour découvrir son hôte. Une espèce du genreMelittaest suspectée. Les informations recueillies sont comparées à celles obtenues en Indre-et-Loire dans un contexte proche. Discovery ofNomada pulchraArnold, 1888 in Maine-et-Loire (Fr. 49), search for its host and comparison with data from Indre-et-Loire (Fr. 37) (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Apidae) Nomada pulchraArnold, 1888 is recorded for the first time in Maine-et-Loire (Fr. 49). The context of the discovery is detailed as well as the research carried out to discover its host. AMelittaspecies is suspected. The information collected are compared with those obtained in Indre-et-Loire in a similar context.

Persistent luminescence (PerL) materials continue emitting light long after their excitation has stopped. Prepared in the form of nanoparticles they revealed their full potential as bio-nanoprobes for in vivo small animal imaging in the last 15 years. PerL materials enable to overcome the limitation of weak light penetration in living tissues. As such, they constitute remarkable light mediators to implement photodynamic therapy (PDT) in deep-seated tissues. This article reviews the recent achievements in PerL-mediated PDT in vitro as well as in small animal cancer models in vivo. PerL-mediated PDT is realized through the smart choice of a tandem of a PerL material and a photosensitizer (PS). The physical association of the PerL material and the PS as well as their targeting ability is debated. Implants or mesoporous nanoparticles emerge as particularly valuable cargos that further permit multimodality in imaging or therapy. The diversity of charge-trapping mechanisms in a few PerL materials enables a large versatility in the excitation protocols. Although the PerL agent can be pre-excited by UV light before its introduction into the animal, it also induces effective PDT after simple infrared or visible LED illumination across tissues as well as after a mild X-ray irradiation.

(1) Background: Due to human activities, greenhouse gas (GHG) concentrations in the atmosphere are constantly rising, causing the greenhouse effect. Among GHGs, carbon dioxide (CO2) is responsible for about two-thirds of the total energy imbalance which is the origin of the increase in the Earth’s temperature. (2) Methods: In this field, we describe the development of periodic mesoporous organosilica nanoparticles (PMO NPs) used to capture and store CO2 present in the atmosphere. Several types of PMO NP (bis(triethoxysilyl)ethane (BTEE) as matrix, co-condensed with trialkoxysilylated aminopyridine (py) and trialkoxysilylated bipyridine (Etbipy and iPrbipy)) were synthesized by means of the sol-gel procedure, then characterized with different techniques (DLS, TEM, FTIR, BET). A systematic evaluation of CO2 adsorption was carried out at 298 K and 273 K, at low pressure. (3) Results: The best values of CO2 adsorption were obtained with 6% bipyridine: 1.045 mmol·g−1 at 298 K and 2.26 mmol·g−1 at 273 K. (4) Conclusions: The synthetized BTEE/aminopyridine or bipyridine PMO NPs showed significant results and could be promising for carbon capture and storage (CCS) application.

High temperature applications of self-lubricated sliding surfaces have gained industrial importance during the recent years. One popular system is based on sintered Ni-Cr composites with addition of solid lubricants. In the present work these composites were prepared under controlled sintering conditions with different combinations of solid lubricants (MoS2, Ag and CaF2) at 1200 °C under flowing argon. The physical properties such as sintered density, relative density and porosity were studied. The microstructures and phase studies of the Ni-Cr based composites were conducted using SEM analysis while the hardness of the composites was measured by Vickers Micro Hardness Tester. The friction tests were conducted with ball on disc configuration following ASTM G-99-95a standard. The MoS2 solid lubricant provides best lubrication at room temperature which is demonstrated by a low friction coefficient compared to pure Ni-Cr composites. The SEM pictures of worn out tracks show solid debris distribution, and filling of pores with solid lubricant phases. The time taken for stabilization of friction coefficient also varies with the type of solid lubricant. Dual and multiple additions of solid lubricants are also able to reduce the friction of coefficient compared to pure Ni-Cr composite.

International audience; The preparation of two cyclens both possessing two triethoxysilyl groups through click chemistry is described. These two cyclens were incorporated into bis(triethoxysilyl)ethenylene‐based periodic mesoporous organosilica nanoparticles (PMO NPs) at different proportions of bis(triethoxysilyl)ethenylene/cyclens (90/10, 75/25). The obtained nanorods were analyzed with different techniques and showed high specific surface areas at low proportion of cyclens. The nanorods containing free amino groups of cyclen were then used for Ni(II) and Co(II) removal from model solutions. The kinetics and isotherms of adsorption of Ni(II) and Co(II) were determined, and the materials showed high uptake of metals (up to 3.9 mmol ⋅ g−1). They demonstrated pronounced selectivity in separation of rare earth elements from late transition metals, e. g. Ni(II) and Co(II) by adsorption and even more so by controlled desorption..

Ni-Cr based composites with and without the addition of solid lubricants (MoS2, Ag and CaF2) were prepared by powder metallurgy method. The samples were sintered at 1200°C in flowing argon atmosphe...

This paper assesses the potential role of the implementation of the best available technologies to reduce the economic consequences of outdoor air pollution in the coming decades. The paper focuses on market impacts related with additional health expenditures, changes in labour productivity and crop yield losses and also presents results on non-market costs, i.e. welfare losses from avoided premature deaths. The results show that technological improvements can potentially reduce concentrations of air pollutants to levels compatible with the WHO guidelines in most countries. However, technology measures can only reduce part of the economic costs relative with the market impacts. While those are efficient in reducing the direct costs of air pollution, there are still large indirect costs associated with current and remaining pollution levels. Policies that aim directly at avoiding economic impacts need to be implemented to further reduce air pollution damages, especially in the regions where technologies are not sufficient to reduce concentrations or where economic consequences persist despite reduced concentration levels.

International audience; Dielectric constants of Al 2 O 3 (alumina) ceramic samples have been measured with non-destructive terahertz time-domain spectroscopy. Using an effective medium approximation, we demonstrated that the relative permittivity can be used to evaluate the porous alumina samples, with porosity fractions ranging from 0% to 20% per volume. This result makes it possible to control sample porosity, a key material parameter related to mechanical strength under compression load, hardness and wear resistance, or thermal stability. We also employed terahertz time-domain spectroscopy to differentiate alumina samples fabricated with different grain sizes, or reveal a small fraction of impurities, such as 5% vol of ZrO 2 , embedded in non-porous alumina. These results demonstrated the potential of terahertz radiation for non-destructive characterization of low loss high dielectric constant ceramics.

International audience; In this study, the epitaxial growth of co-evaporated Cu(In,Ga)Se2 films (CIGSe) onto GaP/Si(001) pseudo-substrates, where the GaP thin layer is epitaxially grown by Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE), is investigated. Extensive structural characterisation of epi-CIGSe is carried out via X-ray diffraction as well as transmission electron microscopy. Sturdy evidence of an epitaxial growth of CIGSe on (GaP/Si)(001) is observed, with the propagation of twins originating from the GaP/Si interface, through the CIGSe/GaP interface. This work aims at paving the way for future CIGSe/GaP/Si structures for the development of tandem solar cells with a c-Si bottom cell, and a GaP interfacial buffer layer for band edge engineering, allowing for the monolithic epitaxial growth of high quality CIGSe as a thin film top cell absorber.

International audience; Most porous silicon-based interferometric sensors targeting biosensing applications consist of vertical porous silicon layers created into a silicon wafer by electrochemical anodization and operate in a flow-over configuration. In this work, we present an alternative porous silicon interferometer based on porous silicon with horizontally oriented pores. This architecture permits the integration of flow-through porous silicon membranes within planar microfluidics. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy was used to obtain interference spectra from fabricated lateral porous silicon membranes and red shifts were observed upon filling microfluidic chips integrating the porous membranes with solvents of higher optical indices. This work proves that lateral porous silicon membranes are typical Fabry-Pérot interferometers with a sensitivity of more than 150 nm/RIU and a limit of detection less than 10−3 RIU, that is comparable to vertical porous silicon layers. Moreover, we have conducted simulation studies showing that the addition of Bragg mirrors on the membranes results in spectra with narrower fringes and lateral porous silicon interferometers with improved performances. After appropriate biofunctionalization of the porous silicon surface, lateral porous silicon membrane interferometers should offer alternative solutions for the development of porous silicon flow-through biosensors monolithically integrated on-chip.

Background: In addition to their great optical properties, nanodiamonds (NDs) have recently proved useful for two-photon-excited photodynamic therapy (TPE-PDT) applications. Indeed, they are able to produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) directly upon two-photon excitation but not with one-photon excitation; Methods: Fluorescent NDs (FNDs) with a 100 nm diameter and detonation NDs (DNDs) of 30 nm were compared. In order to use the gems for cancer-cell theranostics, they were encapsulated in a bis(triethoxysilyl)ethylene-based (ENE) periodic mesoporous organosilica (PMO) shell, and the surface of the formed nanoparticles (NPs) was modified by the direct grafting of polyethylene glycol (PEG) and amino groups using PEG-hexyltriethoxysilane and aminoundecyltriethoxysilane during the sol–gel process. The NPs’ phototoxicity and interaction with MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells were evaluated afterwards; Results: Transmission electronic microscopy images showed the formation of core–shell NPs. Infrared spectra and zeta-potential measurements confirmed the grafting of PEG and NH2 groups. The encapsulation of the NDs allowed for the imaging of cancer cells with NDs and for the performance of TPE-PDT of MDA-MB-231 cancer cells with significant mortality. Conclusions: Multifunctional ND@PMO core–shell nanosystems were successfully prepared. The NPs demonstrated high biocompatibility and TPE-PDT efficiency in vitro in the cancer cell model. Such systems hold good potential for two-photon-excited PDT applications.

International audience; In this paper, we present the first steps of a process toward the development of MoS2/Si heterojunctions photovoltaics, using 2D 2H-MoS2, whose natural abundance and tunable bandgap make it suitable for such application. A focus is made here on the optimization of the MoS2 material and its deposition process, through preliminary optical and structural characterizations of thin 2H-MoS2 layers deposited on 80nm SiO2 on top of Si (001) substrates. Our investigations revealed oxidation of the MoS2 layers, and limited longitudinal crystallite size, which may strongly affect the band lineup between MoS2 and Si, and thus, the performance of the solar cell.