Latest ArticlesThe abuse of antibiotics causes severe bacterial resistance, and the shortage of antibiotics has created a global public health crisis. This situation has prompted people to develop new antibacterial agents independent of traditional antibiotics. Here, we created a series of photosensitive azobenzene-quaternary ammonium salt smart antibacterial agents by connecting azobenzene with amines with different chain lengths to improve the antibacterial selectivity of quaternary ammonium salt (QAS) and prevent the accumulation of active QAS in the environment. After trans-cis isomerization, the solubility of the title compound (compound 4) increased and the antibacterial property enhanced. The experimental results suggested that the antibacterial effect of compound 4 was significantly enhanced after 365 nm light irradiation, and it had photosensitive intelligent antibacterial activity and could be reused. Notably, we did not obtain any mutants of Staphylococcus aureus or Escherichia coli resistant to compound 4. In general, compound 4 has the advantages of high yield, photo-controllable antibacterial properties, reusability, and does not induce bacterial resistance. This photosensitive antibacterial compound provides a new idea for the construction of intelligent disinfectants and is expected to be a candidate for disinfectants in public facilities and medical architecture.
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have attracted significant attention in biomedical research and clinical diagnosis. However, due to their inherent characteristics of low abundance and the high complexity of corresponding biological matrices, simultaneous detection of multiple miRNAs at low abundance is still a challenge. In this work, a method coupling exponential amplification reaction (EXPAR) with matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) is developed for label-free and simultaneous detection of multiple miRNAs. The assay can be performed under isothermal conditions in a single reaction tube, and finished in less than 30 min. It exhibits good quantification ability and with attomolar-level sensitivity for miRNAs detection. It also shows high specificity to distinguish miRNAs at single-nucleotide resolution. We used the method to detect the miRNA-21, let-7a, miRNA-100, and miRNA-125b in samples of spiked human serum and breast cancer cells (i.e., MCF-7, MDA-MB-231 and SK-BR-3). The quantification results were well consistent with the standard real-time fluorescence EXPAR. Consequently, the label-free mass-spectrometric platform could be a potential tool for miRNAs analysis in complex biological samples, and may be used for clinical diagnosis.
Rhein (Rhe), an anthraquinone derivative, exhibits excellent anti-inflammatory effects and other pharmacological activities, but its clinical application remains limited due to poor solubility. The present work aims at the improvement of solubility and oral bioavailability of Rhe through cocrystal formation. For this purpose, Rhe and matrine (Mat) were selected as pharmaceutical ingredient (API) and cocrystal former (CCF), respectively, and the Rhe-Mat cocrystal was synthesized and characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction (SXRD), powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The formation mechanism of Rhe-Mat cocrystal was elucidated by molecular surface electrostatic potential (MSEP). It is worth mentioning that the 50-fold increment of dissolution in vitro was observed in pure water in the form of Rhe-Mat cocrystal. Furthermore, the in vivo studies revealed that Rhe-Mat cocrystal indicated the faster absorption rate and the higher peak blood concentration than the pure Rhe. Hence, it can be concluded that current study successfully improved the solubility and oral bioavailability of Rhe.
In this paper, Fe36Co44 nanocluster structure is used to catalyze the hydrolysis reaction of ammonia borane to produce H2. Firstly, we complete the construction of Fe36Co44 cluster structure and calculate the electronic properties of the cluster. By comparing the adsorption process of Ammonia Borane (AB) in active sites of the cluster, which have different Effective Coordination Number (ECN), the qualitative relationship between ECN and the catalytic activation of AB is clarified, and the optimal catalytic active site is obtained. Then, from the perspective of different reaction paths, we study the hydrolysis reaction of AB in multiple paths, and obtain 5 different reaction paths and energy profiles. The calculation results show that in the case of NH bond priority break (path 5), the reaction has the minimum rate-determining step (RDS) barrier (about 1.02 eV) and the entire reaction is exothermic (about 0.40 eV). So, path 5 is an optimal catalytic reaction path. This study will have an important guiding significance for the study of the AB hydrolysis reaction mechanism.
As an emerging energy storage device with high-safety aqueous electrolytes, low-cost, environmental benignity and large-reserves, the rechargeable aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) have attracted more and more attention. Vanadium-based compounds are also supposed as the potential candidate cathode materials for AZIBs due to their wide variety of phases, variable crystal structures and high theoretical capacity. In this review, the recent progress in the development of vanadium-based materials was summarized, and the relationship between the crystal structure types of active materials and Zn-ion transport mechanism was highlighted. During the charge-discharge process, the different electrostatic repulsion between the cations of vanadium-based compounds with different crystal structures and Zn2+ results in a variety of the Zn-ion storage mechanisms, which can be significant guidance for designing the advanced battery-electrode materials for AZIBs. Furthermore, other factors associated with the storage mechanisms, such as electrolyte components and electrode morphology, are discussed. Finally, the strategies to improve the electrical conductivity, inhibit the dissolution and stabilize the crystal structure of vanadium-based compounds are proposed and the future prospects for developing high-energy-density AZIBs are presented.
Polyoxometalates (POMs) are important inorganic photochromic materials to be potentially applied in photo-induced switch, energy storage, and even the detection of light. However, due to the limited sensitivity of POMs, it is difficult to realize the photochromic response to weak visible light. In this paper, by the coordination of solvated Pb(II), a new structure-defined chain-like polyoxomolybdate complex of [(Pb(DMF)4)3(P2Mo18O62)2]n (Pb3Mo18, DMF = dimethylformamide) has been demonstrated by a facile solvent-diffusion approach. By virtue of interactions between Pb(DMF)4 and polyoxoanions, Pb3Mo18 shows an ultrasensitive photochromic response to weak visible lights and forms the reduced 'heteropoly blue' species through ligand-to-metal charge transfer (LMCT) process. A new mechanism is firstly proposed here that the 6s orbital lone electron pair on Pb(II) can effectively stabilize the generated hole of oxygen atoms as a result of O→Mo charge transfer. Through the proposed mechanism, the LMCT barrier is drastically lowered and allows the coloration to be occurred even upon weak visible light. Also, because the conductivity of Pb3Mo18 enhances with the increase of reduction extent, its electrochemical impedance signals are proportionally response to irradiation intensity. Especially, for the first time, the polyoxomolybdate composite can be used to detect weak visible light, in which the optical signal can be converted into electrical signal output. Moreover, Pb3Mo18 can be drip-coated on the surface of the screen printed chip electrode, which is facile to the detection of light by portable devices compatible with computers, mobile phones and other electronic equipment. This work not only highlights a new approach to the molecular design of photochromic POMs by the coordination of metal ions with the effect of inert electron pair, but also lays a foundation to extend the application of POMs as light signal sensors.
The cell surface membrane proteome is a class of proteins encoded by ~25% of all protein-coding genes in living organisms and plays a key role in mediating communication between the cells and their surrounding environment. However, most cell surface membrane proteins (CSMPs) are naturally expressed at very low levels compared with intracellular proteins. The difficulties in their purification with high specificity further hinder the understanding of their structure and function. In this study, we developed a new photolabeling probe to achieve efficient tagging and facile enrichment of the CSMPs. The probe is composed of a lipid tail for cell surface localization, a polyethylene glycol (PEG) spacer for increased water solubility, two 4-(N-maleimido)benzophenone (MBP) groups for UV-active tagging of the CSMPs, and a biotin tag for subsequent isolation. Application of this photolabeling probe resulted in the successful enrichment and identification of 3098 annotated CSMPs in HT22 cells with close to 70% selectivity. The proposed photolabeling probe and enrichment strategy were demonstrated to be a powerful method for deep cell surface proteome profiling, representing one of the largest groups of current drug targets.
The morphology and heterojunction engineering are effective ways to boost the performance of Cu-based catalysts. Herein, we have reported the designed synthesis of two-dimensional Cu-CuO heterojunction nanosheets (2D Cu-CuO NS) based on 3-aminopropyl-triethoxysilane (APTES, KH550) aided synthetic strategy. The APTES can act as both the ligand and alkali (-OH) source to guide the large-scale synthesis of 2D Cu-based precursor, which can transform into 2D Cu-CuO NS by the controllable post-treatment. The Si species from APTES can protect the particles from the severe aggregation and growth, guaranteeing the formation of 2D sheets composed of small-sized Cu-CuO heterojunction (about 20 nm). The heterojunction interfaces can provide plentiful active sites to boost the catalytic ability. The 2D sheets can provide large accessible surface, being conducive to the contact of the catalyst and reactants. Benefiting from above virtues, the 2D Cu-CuO NS showed the superior catalytic performance for the reduction of a series of nitro compounds, being superior to most reported non-noble metal-based catalysts. Notably, it exhibited good re-cycled performance with no obvious performance degradation after 10 consecutive catalysis. The present study will be promising to promote the application of the Cu-based catalysts, due to its ability to control the morphology and potential for the large-scale synthesis.
Due to the high decay rate of the non-radiative transition of long wavelengths, the molecular design of efficient and stable near-infrared (NIR) electroluminescent materials remains a big challenge. Herein, a new tetradentate cyclometalated platinum(Ⅱ) complex with an N∧C∧C∧N coordinated framework has been developed and used as a dopant for NIR organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). The complex exhibited a short-lived (0.5–1.5 μs) metal-to-ligand charge transfer (MLCT) excited state in doped and neat films. The resulting NIR OLEDs (λEL = 730 nm) achieved maximum external quantum efficiency (EQEmax) of 5.2% and radiance of 74626 mW sr-1 m–2. Of note, the device exhibited excellent stability with operational lifetime of 119 h for LT90. This work demonstrated the great potential of tetradentate platinum(Ⅱ) complexes in the field of NIR OLEDs.
Black phosphorus (BP) as an uprising two-dimensional material exhibits attractive potential in the field of electrocatalysis due to the inherent advantages of high carrier mobility and abundant lone pair electrons. However, the exposed active electrons compel BP to be deactivated by oxidative degradation. Herein, the electronic signature of acceptor-donor heterointerfacial interactions between BP and Co3O4 is realized via wet ball milling. The preferential migration of active electrons from BP to Co3O4 is achieved at the heterointerface since the Fermi level of BP is higher than that of Co3O4. Such relative energetic consideration promotes reasonable oxygen electrocatalytic active sites. Moreover, it significantly suppresses the oxidative degradation of BP. Consequently, the resulting Co3O4/BP heterojunction possesses superior oxygen bifunctional electrocatalytic activity than its parent catalysts. Most importantly, this work promotes an efficient route towards BP-based multifunctional catalysts.
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