Latest ArticlesThe utilization of piezo-photocatalytic technology to achieve the efficient decomposition of antibiotics and stable CO2 reduction (dual-functional catalytic system) represents a cutting-edge approach for concurrently mitigating environmental pollution and the energy crisis. In this work, Ti3C2 MXene quantum dots with high electrical conductivity were uniformly modified on the surface of three-dimensional flower-like MoS2, aiming to realize the piezo-photocatalytic degradation of tetracycline hydrochloride (TC-HCl) coupled with the reduction of CO2 to CO. Remarkably, the degradation rate constant of the optimal Ti3C2 MXene quantum dots/MoS2 sample reached 0.178 min-1, which was 7.7 times higher than that of pure MoS2 under single photocatalysis and 7.1 times higher than that under single piezocatalysis. Meanwhile, the CO yield rates reached 28 µmol g-1 h-1, which was 4.6 times and 6.5 times higher than that of the single catalytic systems based on MoS2, respectively. The introduction of Ti3C2 MXene quantum dots significantly enhanced the current density, charge transfer efficiency, and light absorption capacity, and also effectively suppressed the recombination of electron-hole pairs. This work provides a novel strategy for MoS2-based composites to construct a dual-functional catalytic system via piezo-photocatalytic technology, offering a potential solution to address the concurrent challenges of environmental pollution and the energy crisis.
With high fuel flexibility, high energy efficiency, and low carbon emissions, protonic ceramic fuel cells (PCFCs) have been recognized as a promising energy conversion device. However, the sluggish oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) kinetics occurring at the cathodes significantly hinder the further development of PCFCs. Herein, a Yb-doped cathode material based on PrBaCo2O5+δ (PBC) perovskite with a nominal composition of PrBaCo1.95Yb0.05O5+δ (PBCYb0.05) is reported. The PBCYb0.05 is made up of two phases, which are deficient-PrBa1-xCo1.95–0.99xYb0.05–0.1xO5+δ (D-PBCYb0.05) major phase and BaCo0.99Yb0.01O3-δ (BCYO) secondary phase, demonstrating a low area-specific resistance of 0.249 Ω cm2 and commendable electrocatalytic stability at 600 ℃. In comparison to PBC, the PBCYb0.05 exhibits accelerated oxygen transport kinetics and higher oxygen vacancy concentration, confirmed by the analyses of electrical conductivity relaxation and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. When implemented as the air electrode in PCFCs, PBCYb0.05 delivers an outstanding peak power density (PPD) of 2.25 W/cm2 at 700 ℃, representing a high enhancement over undoped PBC cells.
Molecular oxygen (O2) activation offers a sustainable pathway for environmental remediation by generating reactive oxygen species (ROS), yet challenges in efficiency, stability, and scalability hinder its practical application. This review systematically explores recent advances in integrated (photo)electrocatalytic systems, where synergistic coupling of photonic and electrical energy inputs overcomes spin-forbidden barriers in molecular O2 activation. Emphasis is placed on nanoscale catalyst engineering, including alloy, carbon-based materials, and single-atom catalysts, to precisely regulate ROS generation via electronic structure design and targeted electron transfer. Parallel innovations in reactor design, such as flow-by and flow-through (photo)electrodes, are analyzed for their role in enhancing mass transport, increasing ROS yields, and ensuring operational durability. Integrating fundamental insights with system engineering, the review provides a roadmap for advancing energy-efficient (photo)electrocatalytic platforms, highlighting their transformative potential in ROS-mediated environmental technologies.
Considering the urgency of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) management, a novel 2D MXene/1D Bi5O7I Schottky junction photocatalyst was constructed for the degradation of bisphenol AF (BPAF) by peroxymonosulfate (PMS)-assisted photocatalytic system. Under visible light, the 8-MXene/Bi5O7I/PMS system could degrade 93.4% (0.02984 min-1) of BPAF at 90 min, which was 5.04 and 3.35 times that of Bi5O7I and MXene/Bi5O7I, respectively. This demonstrated the synergistic interaction between photocatalysis and PMS activation, and the ability of MXene to promote the reaction. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations combined with experiments revealed the catalytic reaction mechanism of the system. Additionally, based on Gaussian calculations, the key intermediates of the degradation process were proposed. This study provides a new insight into PMS-assisted photocatalytic systems for effective degradation of organic pollutants.
The active ingredients components of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) can naturally create supramolecular structures like nanoparticles and micelles with well-defined functions through a dynamic assembly mechanism driven by noncovalent bonding interactions. In recent years, numerous studies have found that the supramolecular self-assemblies of TCM, which are also known as Chinese medicine supramolecules (CMS), exhibit better efficacy, higher bioavailability, and synergistic effects. In vivo fate analysis is a roadblock to revealing the active mechanisms of CMS. This review focuses on the in vivo dynamic biological fate of herbal self-assemblies and systematically elucidates their delivery characteristics in absorption barrier penetration, biofilm transport, and tissue-specific distribution. Meanwhile, this review summarizes the progress in applying cutting-edge detection techniques for tracking supramolecular behavior in vivo, including fluorescent labeling, isotope tracing, and multimodal imaging. By summarizing the existing research results, we aim to construct a systematic research framework for the in vivo behaviors of Chinese medicine self-assemblies and explore feasible analysis paths for Chinese medicine formulations.
Latent fingerprints (LFPs) serve as indispensable forensic evidence, yet achieving visualization to Level 3 detail, crucial for conclusive identification, remains highly challenging due to poor contrast, substrate limitations, operational toxicity, and aggregation-caused quenching of classic methods. Here, we present a water-soluble thiazolo[5,4-d]thiazole (TzTz)-based aggregation-induced emission (AIE) luminogen, TPA-TzTz-OH, rationally designed to address these issues. This probe, integrating triphenylamine electron donors, a TzTz π-bridge, and a pyridinium acceptor, enables a distinctive fluorescence "off−on" switch upon visible light (425 nm) excitation, visualizing LFPs within 40 s, completely avoiding organic solvents or post-processing. TPA-TzTz-OH offers broad substrate compatibility, producing high-contrast, high-fidelity fingerprint images on metals, glass, plastics, ceramics, and wood, consistently resolving sweat pores and ridge microstructures (Level 3 features) essential for individualization. Mechanistic studies indicate that restricted intramolecular motion upon specific binding to fingerprint lipids (oleic acid and cholesterol) triggers pronounced AIE enhancement, with electrostatic and hydrogen-bonding interactions enabling specificity. The probe exhibits excellent biocompatibility (>85% cell viability at working concentration), retains efficacy for aged fingerprints (≥10 days), and can be used via immersion or spraying. Comparison with control derivatives confirms the synergistic importance of both the pyridinium charge and hydroxyl group in realizing these unique advantages. This work establishes TPA-TzTz-OH as a promising, sustainable solution for high-resolution forensic visualization, bridging fundamental AIE photophysics and real-world criminalistics while providing a greener and safer technique over conventional methods.
The pervasive inflammatory response orchestrates every stage of tumor initiation and progression, not only serving as a catalyst for tumorigenesis but also as a nurturing environment for malignant growth. Within this intricate microenvironment teeming with cancer cells, immune cells, and stromal cells, a continuous exchange of inflammatory signals mediated by exosomes, small membrane-bound vesicles guide the development of the proinflammatory tumor microenvironment (TME). In this review, we delve into the intricate dialogue mechanisms among tumor cells, resident immune cells and stromal cells, scrutinizing the roles of exosomes derived from both tumor cells and other resident cells in shaping the inflammatory milieu. Anti-tumor therapies harnessing the diverse compositions and effects of exosomes have unveiled novel strategies for combating tumor malignancy.
Copper (Cu) is essential for life, with its redox cycling (Cu+/Cu2+) underpinning key biological processes. Although significant progress has been made in developing fluorescent probes for Cu+, reliable tools for detecting intracellular Cu2+ remain limited, leaving a critical gap in the bioinorganic chemistry toolkit. To address this need, we developed an activity-based sensing (ABS) strategy for live-cell Cu2+ detection that leverages Cu2+-dependent bioorthogonal conjugation. Specifically, we engineered thiophosphoryl pyridinol/pyrimidinol dyes that undergo Cu2+-mediated activation, enabling covalent labeling of proximal proteins within intracellular Cu2+-enriched microdomains and concomitant turn-on fluorescence. This work not only offers a powerful tool for detecting intracellular Cu2+ fluctuations under exogenous stimuli but also proposes thiophosphorylated pyridinol/pyrimidinol scaffolds as a versatile platform for future intracellular Cu2+ sensing applications.
The escalating incidence of breast cancer threatens to women's health, underscoring the urgent need for the development of new therapies with reduced toxicity and increased efficacy. Combination therapy strategy holds promising potential to improve therapeutic outcomes, however, most chemotherapeutic drugs agents are hindered by poor water solubility and non-specific toxicity. The combination of chemotherapy drugs with targeted therapies represents a reliable approach. In this study, we designed a combination regimen utilizing the chemotherapeutic agent doxorubicin (Dox) alongside the anti-angiogenic drug apatinib (AP) for breast cancer treatment. Methoxy poly(ethylene glycol)-disulfide-poly(lactic acid) (PEG-SS-PLA) and cyclo(Arg-Gly-Asp-D-Tyr-Cys) conjugated PEG-PLA (cRGD-PEG-PLA) were prepared to achieve both reductive response and active targeting for co-delivery of drugs. The self-assembled drug-loaded micelles exhibited an average particle size of 61.50 nm. Our findings indicate that AP significantly enhances Dox uptake in breast cancer cells. Cellular and animal experimental results consistently demonstrated that the AP+Dox/cRGD-m effectively promotes apoptosis of breast cancer cells, while markedly inhibiting tumor growth and pulmonary metastasis. Additionally, AP+Dox/cRGD-m is biodegradable and sustainable, exhibiting a favorable safety profile in vivo. This study suggests that AP+Dox/cRGD-m may have potential clinical application in the treatment of breast cancer.
Liver cancer, particularly hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), is a leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. The therapeutic potential of norcantharidin (NCTD), a small-molecule chemotherapeutic agent, is often limited by its rapid systemic clearance and dose-dependent nephrotoxicity. Here, a novel folic acid (FA)-modified erythrocyte membrane (EM)-coated nanoplatform (FA/EM@PEI-NCTD) was developed to improve tumor targeting, prolong circulation, and mitigate renal toxicity. This nanoplatform preserves CD47 expression, transmitting “don't eat me” signal to evade macrophage uptake. In vitro, FA/EM@PEI-NCTD showed enhanced cytotoxicity against HCC cells and favorable drug release kinetics with low hemolytic activity. In vivo, the system demonstrated superior tumor targeting, growth inhibition, prolonged survival, and reduced nephrotoxicity. Mechanistically, the treatment promoted apoptosis in H22 cells by upregulating Bax and caspase-3 while downregulating Bcl-2. These results highlight FA/EM@PEI-NCTD as a promising strategy for safe and effective targeted HCC therapy.
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